Advert

Advert is an exploration of the self in an increasingly tribalist society. In this hard-hitting performance, Laura Bowler and the Decoder Ensemble summon the power to push back against social constraints and advertise identity on your own terms.

The British composer and vocalist presents several mixed-media autobiographical ‘adverts’. These consist of video combined with original text by Bowler and Sam Redway, as well as quotes on identity, extremism and being female, from writers such as Judith Butler, Amy Chua and Donna Haraway. The adverts waver between truth and fiction, extreme openness and fragmented memories. Bowler dramatises her own personal struggles and vulnerability by boxing with the musicians, tapdancing and getting a tattoo on stage.

Laura Bowler specialises in music-theatre, multidisciplinary work and opera. In their performance, the six members of the German-based Decoder Ensemble fuse electronic and acoustic music, the newest digital technologies and intense physicality.

The musical texture of Advert is scarred by physical combat and the tattooist’s needle. Prepare for a sonic workout that literally draws blood.

NB: Free for NMH students and employees.