An Abyss
Philipp Rumsch
Immersive sound and dance performance / January 1, 2023
„An abyss“ is a new collaborative work by dancers and choreographers Sophie Vergères (CH), David Lagerqvist (SWE), and myself. This full-length immersive piece blends elements of concert, dance, performance, and sound installation — premiering in a unique 3D audio setup at ZiMMT Leipzig in October 2023.
The starting point for An abyss is my research into the multiple crises of our time and their effects on society and the environment. Unlike my concert piece ARCADIA — a composition commissioned by the German National Library and premiered in May 2023 — which offered a utopian alternative to reality, here we directly confront our behavioral patterns and the crisis conditions surrounding us. Through various images, Sophie Vergères, David Lagerqvist, and I depict dramatic states of repetition, chaos, fatigue, and powerlessness, as well as their opposing forces.
An abyss was developed by us over an extended period and is the result of an intensive exploration of interdisciplinary modes of expression. Movement and sound intertwine in an unusual way: sound becomes space by being placed within a multichannel audio setup, thereby triggering movement. At the same time, hearing is directly altered through physical actions using modern performance controllers.
After Sophie Vergères and I had already created the full-length dance piece Dekarnation and the short film WE together, An abyss is the first collaborative work involving all three of us.
Concept & Performance – Sophie Vergères, David Lagerqvist, Philipp Rumsch
Choreography – Sophie Vergères, David Lagerqvist
Music Composition & Production – Philipp Rumsch
Light Design – Jacob Miseler