On Wednesday, April 3rd, we were among the lucky group of media representatives, friends, and partners to witness the pre-premiere of the long-awaited Flying Pictures project by OSGEMEOS and FlyingSteps. The show is a modern take on Modest Mussorgsky’s classic Pictures at an Exhibition. We checked out the props, set, and final rehearsal at The Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, so check it out below!
Following successful productions of Flying Bach and Flying Illusion, the Berlin-based Urban Dance Company Flying Steps continues their effort to merge Hip-Hop and urban culture with classical music. This time they teamed up the apostles of hip-hop-inspired art, Summer 2018 Juxtapoz cover artists, OSGEMEOS, who designed and produced the props, set, and costumes for the show. Dominating the main space is a giant blowup b-boy character, a sculptural version of the giants that twins have been painting around the world for years. He is surrounded by a large installation of speakers that becomes part of the show as well as more large puppets based on their signature b-boy characters.
Inspired by each other, all the creatives involved in this project pushed their limits, modifying their practice to produce groundbreaking work. Composers and musicians rearranged the well known classical piece, adding some serious beats to it, dancers brought mind-blowing breakdancing to a more traditional ballet performance, beatboxer Mando lent his skills to an orchestral arrangement, and obviously the twins, who modified their work into functional theater props, costumes, and set elements.
Flying Pictures will be on view at Berlin's cultural landmark that is Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art from today until June 2nd. During the press conference, the possibility of the show touring worldwide was mentioned but not confirmed, so make sure you check it out while it's running.––Sasha Bogojev
Photos by @SashaBogojev