I, too, overflow; my desires have invented new desires, my body knows unheard-of songs.
Helene Cixous, Laugh of the Medusa
Otucha is a polish word describing an act of care between two beings. To give ‘otucha’ is to lifts the spirits, to surround with encouragement and comfort.
In the very core of our work lays a deep urge for a profound study of diverse dimensions of the human voice. We’re exploring its healing, empowering & community building qualities in the contexts of social relations and environment.
We grew a common repertoire of traditional folk songs from Slavic musical heritage as well as our own compositions and improvised vocal elements. We see traditional folk song as a sound being that carries in its DNA a memory of the old times. For us, a song is a vessel – it is filled with unique knowledge that has no beginning and does not belong to anyone – it just flows through a singing body. At the same time, singing together holds a huge potential of bonding, supporting, and nourishing the given community.
We’re sharing our voice in the shape of concerts and site-specific vocal performances. It’s crucial to us to bring voice outside the buildings, to connect and interact with a given, unique acoustic environment in a raw and bare way, without amplification, using different properties of the voice. A significant element of our practice are vocal interventions, which are a blend of singing and facilitation of voice practice with the audience, designed for a particular situation and place.
Otucha Collective: Paulina Miu Kühling // Agnieszka Bulacik // Ola Zielinska // Julia Legezynska // Ewa Brokos
Instagram: @otucha_collective
