MAREIKE DOBEWALL

DEMMIN, LETTING A CITY SOUND

The project Demmin – eine Stadt zum Klingen bringen (’Demmin – letting a city sound’) explores the history and stories of the German city of Demmin in a dialogue between the local choir, Peenechor, and the site of Haus Demmin. During a two-week workshop the choir and Mareike Dobewall explored how to vocalise other stories, of the inhabitants of Demmin and the two decaying buildings known collectively as Haus Demmin (the ruins of an 11th century fortress and a former mansion). In a sonic dialogue between ageing voices and decaying architecture a vocal performance in the open air was created. Stories, history and fairy tales took new shape through vocal music, and un-listened sound was given presence. The site-determined performance allowed for the memory and the imagination of the visitors and the participants to rise up and become a part of a holistic experience.

Biography

Mareike Dobewall is a doctoral candidate at Stockholm University of the Arts. Her research questions relate to the site-specificity of sound and explore the dialogue between musicians and spaces. In her musical creations she works purely acoustic with live performers, focusing on the relationship between the bodies of buildings and the human body. Dobewall has worked as a director in film, theatre and opera and studied scenography at the Norwegian Theatre Academy.