Zmijewski, Artur
Singing Lesson
In 2001 Artur Zmijewski created the first part of the project 'Singing Lesson' in the Augsburg Evangelical Holy Trinity church in Warsaw. Accompanied by an organ a choir of 'deaf-mute' children sang the 'Kyrie' from the 'Polish Mass' by Jan Maklakiewicz (1899-1954). Among the cacophony of sounds uttered by them you can hear the words of the confession of faith: "In this holy place, in this holiest place, our voice rises to you and erupts as the sea roars from the deep abyss. O Christ, hear us! O Christ, listen to us!". The work was presented in the exhibition Manifesta 4 in Frankfurt-am-Main, among others. The second part of the project ('Deaf Bach') was realized in 2002 in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, in which Johann Sebastian Bach for many years was a cantor and in which he was buried. "Deaf-mute" or severely hearing-impaired children sang Bach's cantata 'Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben' (Heart and Lips and Deed and Life). Besides the Polish Mass Kyrie by Maklakiewicz and the Bach Cantatas, 'Singing Lesson' also includes the piece 'Ich Liebe Dich' which was written and performed by Anja Fessel, one member of the "deaf-mute" choir from Leipzig.