The idea of The butchery / The Slaughterhouse have being deveoped! We are discussing about it (still work in progress) with Kuba and Jana, who maybe prepare sounds.
We based our project on some novels.
First is Maria Vargas Llosa’s “In Praise of the Stepmother” (chapter dedicated to Francis Bacon’s picture “The head I”, you can find it here: http://thenonist.com/images/uploads/hd.1.c.48.jpg and http://www.polskina5.pl/files/Motywy/k/Francis_Bacon.jpg )
Second is Kurt Vannegut’s “Slaughterhouse-five” (it is summarised here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughterhouse-Five ).
Third is Slawomir Mrozek’s “The Slaughterhouse” It is a drama about a man, tallented violinist, who can’t decide, whether he prefere pleasures of life (he desires a women, flutist) or sublimation of art. It is contemporary plot, but Paganini appers there (his statue comes alive and want to stay alive offering his talent in return). The music is there a synonimus of sublimation from lifeand – in my opinion (like in Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange“) – it is also a torture. In the last act, violinist leave out his violin, takes a meat cleaver and becomes a butcher.
We don’t know anything about that butchery/slaughterhouse on Lasztownia – except that it was built in 1945 and worked from 1947 till 1997 (the connection would be that Bacon’s picture was made in 1948 – the second world war would be in background in each of our associations).
So – we would like to narrate about that place through the pictures, music – and also flavour (Lasztownia is the place where air is full of flavours – not only the chocolate one).
Pictures – reproduced as a fotos and put them in golden frames, like at a bourgeois or court living room, hanged in the first part of building, where the chandeliers and courtains are hung. Not only the Bacon’s, but also Jan Lebenstein’s:
We would like to fake a titles – and use the name of butchery “Agryf” (we interpret it as “a-gryf”, which would mean “an animal opposited to a griffon – the mythological flying animal, strong, immortal, beautiful and proud – an ugly, weak, dugnityless, dying animal”).
Also, stamping the people coming in (as a meat in butchery’s is stamped) with quotes from the mentioned previously books. Kuba wants also to associate a butchery with the rituals which were held in ancient Greece – where the sacrificed animal was painted in colours and trimmed with ribbons and flovers. I suggested trimming every guest with “kotylion” (kind of decoration for a classical ball, where partners tack to each other colorful ribbons and flovers). But we don’t know yet, how to make obvious that association. Maybe we will use several stamps with different quotations (also some historical – about a sacrificial ritual), maybe we put them in frames and hang on those butchery’s hooks poking out the wall, as the pictures.
Music – pieces of Paganini (especially Caprices for solo violin) in the first part of the butchery (maybe heared from more than one directions) and some strange sounds (some modern music and voices of animals would be great). There should be such a plece inside the butchery where those sounds mix with others in crual cacofony). We were also concerning reading pieces of novels, but i think it isn’t necessery.
Flavour – we will buy perfumes and musk-flavour and use, as music: the nice one in “elegant/Paganini area”, the animal one in “butchery area”.
That’s our plan. We will appreciate any suggestions – mayby you would like to add something?
