conversations in ten questions 47 : Inez Wolters

In this series of interviews we try to get to know the artists who will perform in Fringe Festival Istanbul 2022. Our last guest is Inez Wolters from LaPiratesse.

Ayse Draz, Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Mehmet Kerem Ozel, Writer

La Piratesse & Claroscuro Concert Extravagant @ Concertzaal Tilburg 

©Chris Heijmans

What is the essence of performance in your opinion?

LaPiratesse is a live music band, but we call it a performance band as well, because we want to give the audience a different experience than most live bands do. Performance adds elements to the show that gives you more than just a music concert. The character changes and the extravagant, self made costumes, the visuals, the spoken word and the dance add more layers to it. So the essence of performance would be opening up the eyes of the spectator, surprise them, give them something to think about, try to involve them in our journey.

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How?

Almost impossible to say no now! But yes, actually the artistic signature of LaPiratesse is based on the power of transformation: by changing live on stage every costume and character we show the vulnerability of magic, which also immediately is an empowering thing to watch for an audience.

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your pieces?

Not so much dreams, but rather thoughts that pop up when day dreaming. Watching other artists perform can be very inspiring, a movie, a feeling. News, politics and stuff on the other hand can also be an inspiration, or energetic motor to express certain worries or thoughts through our art.

When do you decide to give a Ftle to a piece you are working on if it already does not have one?

Our titles usually start as working titles during the rehearsal process. They usually refer to the inspiration or the main theme of the song. When the song is finished we consider keeping or changing the working title, adding a bit more imagination to it. (working titles can be quite plain :)) We see titles more as something practical, then the core of our work.

Are there any artist or person whom you think influenced your art most? And if there is such an artist or person, who?

David Bowie is a great influence, especially the way he created all these different stage characters during his career. Also the surreal magic of Sigur Ros is inspiring, the way they make you feel their songs without knowing what their lyrics are about. Also Benjamin Clementine is a great inspiration, his voice and melodies are very ‘deep’ which empowers us on an intuitive level.

When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist?

In our songs we address current issues such as (gender) equality, femininity, big technological revolutions versus nature, poverty and loneliness. We feel there’s not really time or urgency to write love songs, coming of age songs or stuff like that (there are enough great singer who’ve done this/do this already ;-) ). But equality in many aspects, and quesFons about the future of (social) humanity are very important for us, and we hope to contribute to the global discussion about these topics with our work.

What does ‘Fringe’ signify for you?

Fringe makes performances possible in public space, trying to reach people who would not go to a theatre or a concert so easily. This is a very valuable thing to do - we admire the organisation for it and love the be a part of it.

Why did you decide to participate in the Istanbul Fringe festival particularly with ‘La Piratesse’?

Last year we performed on Fringe Istanbul with a different company, Zwermers. It was a wonderful experience for many reasons. Istanbul is a very diverse city, which makes it quite interesting and challenging to perform in public space. For LaPiratesse it’s a chance to show our work for a very divers and international audience. And we get the chance to work with local arFsts. We hope to inspire people, get inspired, and broaden our network.

What was the process of creating a piece that made the audience say 'I've never seen anything like it’?

When you start creating you never now if this will be the piece people will say such a thing about. In the end we discovered that people say this about the whole experience of a concert of LaPiratesse; maybe because we combine all kinds of art forms, and because of the live transformations. By doing this, we somehow seem to really touch our audience, a thing we feel very lucky about and goes both ways: it touches us as well, and if this happens in a live concert, it feels like everybody in the room is sharing a magical moment.

Is there anything particular you would like to tell the Istanbul audience before they experience your piece?

We’re honoured to share our work with you and hope to create some magic together!

[The Turkish version of this interview was published in unlimited.]