”Det finns inga ord” (“There are no words”) – the development of a multilingual hybrid composition
Daniel Fjellström (composer), Vanja Hamidi Isacson (playwright and doctor in performative and media practices)
December 2024 & ongoing in 2025
Our collaboration aims to create a multilingual hybrid work that explores the connection between text and music. The form moves in the borderland between vocal works, opera and audio play. We work closely to integrate our artistic practices from the start of the project, instead of the more traditional workflow where the libretto/script is written first and the music is composed later.
We want to portray young people's subjective experiences of fatal shootings in public environments by focusing on sensory impressions, emotions and reactions rather than the violent event itself. Through a combination of pre-recorded material and live performances by singers and musicians, we strive to create an inclusive work that reflects different perspectives and multilingualism.
We have had the opportunity to organize three workshops over the past year, with the aim of deepening the structure of the work, technical prerequisites and the practical work with multilingualism and pre-recorded material.
We have worked based on a division into three dramaturgical parts – before, during, after – and have deepened the connection between music and text in these three phases. The work has combined individual work, joint reflection and practical tests in a workshop environment.
Workshop December 2024
- Participating: Elisabeth Einarsdottir, soprano, Negar Zarassi, soprano, Tor Lind, tenor, Lovisa Kowalczyk, violin, Annika Bjelk, piano, Linda Mallik, director, Carolina Lindau, producer, Maria Sundqvist, director (representatives from Operaverkstan, Malmö Opera), Vanja Hamidi Isacson (VHI), Daniel Fjellström (DF)
- In collaboration with Operaverkstan, Malmö Opera
Prior to the workshop, in August 2024, we conducted an observation session at Emporia shopping center in Malmö – the site of a high-profile shooting in the summer of 2022. During a preliminary study, we had conducted a similar session, which proved to be a useful method for finding a common starting point for the work. The purpose was to collect a thematic basis in order to be able to build the work with text and music. We took impressions of the environment, “eavesdropped” on people’s conversations, etc. We also collected journalistic material, both from the incident at Emporia, but also similar shootings in the form of pictures, films, testimonies, etc.
In December, we hold a first workshop with singers and musicians. It is done in collaboration with Operaverkstan, Malmö Opera.
Participants:
Artistic dialogue partner: Maria Sundqvist
Director: Linda Mallik
Singers: Negar Zarassi, Tor Lind, Elisabet Einarsdottir
Musicians: Annika Bjelk, Lovisa Kowalczyk
The project also has support from: The Royal Academy of Music (within the Bernadotte programme, Sten K Johnson's foundation and Helge Ax:son Johnson's foundation.
Workshop March 2025
- Participants: Tor Lind, tenor, Sebastian Hastrup, sound designer, VHI, DF
One of the experiences so far was that we realized that we needed to bring in someone with greater expertise in the field of sound design in order to be able to focus on the form of the work. We asked the sound designer Sebastian Hastrup and in March 2025 arranged a workshop on a slightly smaller scale than the previous one. On this occasion, we focused on how pre-recorded material should be integrated into the performance, including using sensors that can be activated by singers and actors on the stage floor. We tested different technical solutions in the acoustics and began planning for the next phase, especially based on the new technical needs that had been identified.
Workshop with young people May 2025
During the spring, we have also conducted two workshops with young people (15-25 years old) in collaboration with the Motetten Folkets Hus theatre group and the Swedish-Algerian Association (SAF). Together with psychologist Sima Wolgast (Lund University), the participants have discussed and written about shootings where young people have been involved as victims or perpetrators. Some of the participants have also participated in the voice recordings that will become part of the work.
Workshop June 2025
In June we hold a workshop where we will work with actors, singers, musicians, directors and sound designer to develop the scenario we have created so far.
Participants:
Director: Jörgen Dahlqvist
Sound designer: Sebastian Hastrup
Singers: Medo Ismail, Tor Lind, Arina Katchinskaia
Musician: Hedda Heiskanen
Translations:
Russian: Keren Klmiovsky
Arabic: Mohamed Hamidi
Recorded Voices:
Elisabeth Einarsdottir
Tor Lind
Negar Zarassi
Medo Ismail
Arina Katchinskaia
Wanjiku Victoria Seest Christensen
Keren Klimovsky
Lia Gangborn Grehn
Armin Mirwali
Sumaya Mohamed Ali
Mathilde Palm Galmar
Selma El Mansouri
Nassim Hamrit
Mohamed Hamidi
Lili Nottrott
Margot Edström
Daniel Fjellström is a composer and arranger based in Lund. A graduate of the Malmö Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music in London, his works include acclaimed operas “Det går an" and "Tusen och en natt” as well as choral and orchestral compositions. Fjellström has received several awards, including the Rosenborg-Gehrman Prize and his music has been performed by leading ensembles like the Gothenburg and Malmö Symphony Orchestras.
Visit Daniel Fjellström's artist page - danielfjellstrom.com
Vanja Hamidi Isacson is a Swedish Finnish playwright and artistic researcher based in Malmö, Sweden. She is an affiliated guest researcher at Malmö Theatre Academy, Lund University. In 2022, she earned her doctorate from Stockholm University of the Arts with a thesis titled "The Potential of Multilingualism in Dramatic Works". Hamidi Isacson was also a co-founder of the multilingual theatre company Teater JaLaDa in Malmö. She has written two opera librettos: ”Tusen och en natt” and ”Kom inte hit!”
Visit Vanja Hamidi Isacson's artist research page - vanjahamidiisacson.se