Forestillingen Mortalities giver dig adgang til underverdenen, når dødens ledsager tager dig i hånden. Med forsigtige skridt træder I ud på en lang, knagende hængebro og drager om på den anden side. Virtual Reality-operaen Mortalities er et nyt operaformat. Fire gæster lukkes ind ad gangen til en eksklusiv oplevelse, der både er fysisk og virtuel. Efter et indledende ritual, bevæger du dig fysisk rundt i en stor live installation, hvor der udspiller sig en multisensorisk dødsopera. Seks versioner af døden Med inspiration fra nekroæstetiske aspekter af død har det kunstneriske hold udviklet seks versioner af døden, som du får mulighed for at afprøve. Du rejser gennem det kolde, det tunge, det beskidte, det forvrængede og kommer tæt på den fulde dekomposition – før der opstår liv igen. Librettoen er skrevet af Ursula Andkjær Olsen og sat i musik af SØS Gunver Ryberg der tilfører operasangernes stemmer et nyt udtryk i et elektronisk univers. Det visuelle udtryk er skabt af Ninna Steen, der i samarbejde med MANND og Quad studio forener den fysiske verden med et virtuelt univers. Konceptet er skabt og initieret af kunstnerisk leder Rebekka Bohse Meyer, der med Mortalities undersøger VRs potentiale for opera i Danmarks første VR-opera. Koncept, instruktion & kunstnerisk ledelse: Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer Komposition af elektronisk musik, kor & stemmer: SØS Gunver Ryberg Visuel kunstner/ design af rum og karakterer: Ninna Steen Libretto: Ursula Andkjær Olsen Animation & koreografi: Ninna Steen VR-udviklere: MANND VR-producer: Maria Herholdt Engermann VR lead technician: Jeppe Jost Etzerodt 3D modellering & 3D animation: Quad Studio Lydimplementering og lydeffekter: Frederik la Cour Shader Artist: Bastian Leonhardt Strube Vokal indspilninger, tekniker: Oliver Matthew Volz Tekstkonsulenter: Katrine Jensen, Orien Longo Maskedesign og produktion: Trine Thulstrup Rekvisitter: Niels Lau Nielsen Kostume: Mie Drud Producer: Lars Vind-Andersen Produktion: Jakobe Performing Arts Co-produktion: Sort/Hvid, Copenhagen Opera Festival Sangere Soloer komponeret ud fra improvisation med sangerne Live-sangere: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Katinka Marie Frida Bohse Meyer Sangere i VR: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Kirsten Voss, Stephen Yeseta, Mathias Monrad Møller, Mikkel Tuxen Tak til Mikkel Krause Frantzen, Jakob Matzen, MixR lab, niimblr, ArtFreq Studio, Pavillion K Støttet af Statens Kunstfond, Bikubenfonden, Augustinus Fonden, William Demant Fonden, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Dansk Komponistforening, Dansk Skuespillerforbund, Dansk Solistforbund

ann-katrin lau, lea rogge-herper and annika herbig make history for borussia dortmund by scoring in the women's team first ever game vs. tsv 1860 münchen (08.08.2021)

a bibliography of books I will never read, but will save for someday for forever, alphabetical by title

All-night party : the women of bohemian Greenwich Village and Harlem, 1913-1930 /by Barnet, Andrea

Ancestral appetites : food in prehistory /by Gremillion, Kristen J., 1958- 

Astro turf : the private life of rocket science /by Lord, M. G.

The banquet : dining in the great courts of late Renaissance Europe / 

Chinese vernacular dwellings : people's daily life with their houses /by Shan, Deqi 

Cold counsel : women in Old Norse literature and mythology : a collection of essays /

The country house library /by Purcell, Mark (Librarian)

Courtly love undressed : reading through clothes in medieval French culture /by Burns, E. Jane, 1948-

Crying at the movies : a film memoir /by Sprengnether, Madelon

The Cultural Revolution cookbook : simple, healthy recipes from China's countryside /by Gong, Sasha 

Disciplining girls : understanding the origins of the classic orphan girl story /by Sanders, Joe Sutliff

Epic in homespun; nineteenth century life reflected in family letters. by McClelland, Ruth Marjorie

The Eskimo storyteller: folktales from Noatak, Alaskaby Hall, Edwin S., 1939-

The first bohemians : life and art in London's golden age /by Gatrell, Vic, 1941-

Food, foodways and foodscapes : culture, community and consumption in post-colonial Singapore /

From girls to grrrlz : a history of [women's] comics from teens to zines /by Robbins, Trina

The girl sleuth /by Mason, Bobbie Ann

Girls : feminine adolescence in popular culture & cultural theory /by Driscoll, Catherine

Going up the country : when the hippies, dreamers, freaks, and radicals moved to Vermont /by Daley, Yvonne

The Hakka cookbook : Chinese soul food from around the world /by Anusasananan, Linda Lau, 1947-

A history of country house visiting : five centuries of tourism and taste /by Tinniswood, Adrian

Hungering for America : Italian, Irish, and Jewish foodways in the age of migration /by Diner, Hasia R.

"I do!" : courtship, love, and marriage on the American frontier : a glimpse at America's romantic past through photographs, diaries, and journals, 1715-1...by Luchetti, Cathy, 1945-

Inside the Victorian home : a portrait of domestic life in Victorian England /by Flanders, Judith

The king, the champion and the sorcerer : a study in Germanic myth /by Motz, Lotte

Looking back : Canadian women's prairie memoirs and intersections of culture, history, and identity /by Matthews, S. Leigh (Sandra Leigh), 1967-

A Maryland sampling : girlhood embroidery 1738-1860 /by Allen, Gloria Seaman

Men in wonderland : the lost girlhood of the Victorian gentlemen /by Robson, Catherine, 1962-

Mistress of the house : great ladies and grand houses, 1670-1830 /by Baird, Rosemary

Myth & Middle-Earth /by Jones, Leslie Ellen

Norwegian native art : cultural identity in Norwegian metal music /by Helden, Imke von

On the edge of utopia : performance and ritual at Burning Man /by Bowditch, Rachel

Out of this world : why literature matters to girls /by Blackford, Holly Virginia

The polite tourist : four centuries of country house visiting /by Tinniswood, Adrian  

The Private schooling of girls : past and present /Published 1993

Saltwater foodways : New Englanders and their food, at sea and ashore, in the nineteenth century /by Oliver, Sandra L. (Sandra Louise), 1947-

Spectres of the self : thinking about ghosts and ghost-seeing in England, 1750-1920 /by McCorristine, Shane, 1983-

Straight from the heart : gender, intimacy, and the cultural production of shōjo manga /by Prough, Jennifer Sally, 1968-

The table comes first : family, France, and the meaning of food /by Gopnik, Adam

Ventures into childland : Victorians, fairy tales, and femininity /by Knoepflmacher, U. C.

Well met : Renaissance faires and the American counterculture /by Rubin, Rachel

Woman : an intimate geography /by Angier, Natalie

Women in Old Norse literature : bodies, words, and power /by Fridriksdottir, Johanna Katrin, 1980-

Zhorna : material culture of the Ukrainian pioneers /by Fodchuk, Roman

Adieu - SPORTS

It started maybe due to Malaysians’ love of Ali, the legendary boxing superstar who was previously known as Cassius Clay. So when Ali defeated Joe Bugner in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, the euphoria out of that victory somehow struck me. That day, majority of us were glued to the television sets across the country. My family and I, since we could not afford to own one at that time, flocked with other neighbours in front of a black and white television set owned by a close relative. Everyone was rooting for Ali, and every of Ali’s moves and punches was greeted with applause. And like always, Ali was the victor, and everybody went home feeling super happy. Funny thing, I was not asked to be prepared to attend my primary school which was held in the afternoon that year. I was excused to go to school simply because Ali won?

Probably, that was the only biggest sporting event in our country that year. Oh yes, Malaysia placed fourth in the World Field Hockey held in Kuala Lumpur in the same year. But it pales in comparison to Ali’s victory, as far as my villagers’ were concerned.

Then came 1976, the year Olympics Games were held in Montreal. Nadia Comaneci won a perfect 10 in her gymnastic floor exercise. That was incredible as it had never been achieved before, even by Olga Korbut who later I learned was the darling of 1972 Olympics.

Suddenly, my interest in sports surged.

1977 Kuala Lumpur held South East Asia (SEA) Games. This time I was well aware of its significance. Marina Chin (now Datuk) was the darling of the Games. She won her specialty event 100m hurdles but fell short (silver) to Jessica Lau in 400m hurdles.

It would take pages for me to list down all sporting events that came into my attention since 1975 till now. And I would not do that in this blog. Maybe just a random rambling would be fine.

I love badminton very much, and was a player for my primary school back in 1979. However, in the secondary school I chose not to try to be a school badminton player. Badminton became just a sport that I played as a hobby, and the last time I ever held a racket was in early 2010 or just about that time.

I adored Lim Swei King very much, and in my opinion he was a great player. But when Lin Dan came into badminton scene, I believe nobody is better than Lin Dan. As for lady player, I would say that nobody was a better player than Li Lingwei and Han Aiping. Susi Susanti was also a great player.

Tennis was a sport that I tried to play, but not competitively. The first time I played was in the Comiskey Park which was the home of Chicago White Sox during that time. Many people love Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Michael Stich, Pete Sampras or Michael Chang. But, maybe because of their good demeanour on court, I always loved the Swedes of Stefan Edberg, Anders Jarryd, Mats Wilander, Joakim Nystrom and Henrik Stenson. Steffi Graff and Venus Williams are my favorite female players.

In athletics, they were a lot that I admired. Mostly because of their dedications towards their sports and also because of their achievements. Jackie Joyner Kersee and Gail Devers were outstanding because they excelled in their sports amid health issues. Heike Dreschler, Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett, Katrin Krabbe, Michael Johnson, Cathy Freeman (love her), Ashley Ashford, Shelly Ann Fraser, and the list goes on. Somehow, my memory kind of betrays me today, maybe they are lots to be mentioned. My favorites? Of course, I love the way Usain Bolts blazed through his competitors. And Allyson Felix, somehow it has been a pure joy to watch her running. She was a true sport woman who has been very gracious in defeats.

I enjoyed playing basketball with Malaysian friends when I was in Chicago. Like always, I did not play competitively. During that time and until now, nobody is greater than MJ. Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Bill Cartwright, and all Bulls players were my favorite. Throughout the years I followed basketball, I could say that I also love Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrooks, Stephen Curry (loved him when he was with Davidson), and Hakeem Olojuwon. As for ladies, the first name that would pop up in my mind is none other than Candace Parker.

When I arrived in Chicago, the euphoria of Bears winning the Super Bowl in 1985 was still there, even though that year NY Giants just won the following Super Bowl. It was just a few months after Keith Smart delivered the final point that won Indiana University (Hoosiers) its last NCAA, over Syracuse. I had always hope that Bears and Hoosiers would win another after that, but they just fell short of achieving the feat.

Chicago Bulls were on the rise, and finally won their NBA Championship in my fourth year there. I remember that feeling when I walked home from a friend’s house after the Bulls won that night. It was unforgettable but indescribable feeling of satisfactions after such a long wait.

I already left Chicago, and the States, when Chicago White Sox and Blackhawks won their respective trophies. Yes I still followed Chicago’s and Hoosiers’ sports through internet now that I could not watch them in the television. Since IIT does not have any college football team, back then I associated myself as being a part of University of Michigan’s Wolverines. And they were also NCAA FB Champion.

So, looking back, maybe part of me wanting so much to see Cubs win the World Series that kept me following the sports intently for the past 25 years since I left Chicago. Cubs were a great team during the time of Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Mark Grace etc. but somehow, they could not bring the ring to Chicago. I remember keeping a kind of personal journal back in the late 1980’s chronicling my life and most part of it writing about the games that Cubs played. Sometime you won, sometime you lose and sometime it rained; that were part of baseball.

When Cubs finally ended its title drought last year, I remember telling my friends that now I could die with eyes closed. After such heartbreaks, being eternal national mockery and everything that you could relate to Cubs’ inability to win the World Series again, the team of Kris Bryant, Jack Arrieta, etc. (sorry I could not remember other names at the moment) finally delivered to ring to the most loyal fans in the world.

On the home or regional front, I love Nicole David, Shalin Zulkifli, Lee Ching Wei, the SIdek’s brothers, and a few others whose names suddenly do not come in my mind while I am writing this. They are our true champions, with their successes came after hard work, dedication and grit.

Looking back, I think I have witnessed what I wanted to witness with regards to sports. Candace Parker won WNBA with LA, Cubs won its long overdue World Series, and later in the year and this year, Serena broke her tying record with Steffi on most Grand Slam won in the Open era, and lastly, Roger Federer captured his Wimbledon once again.

So, thank you for being a very good part of me for this long. I will have to say good bye (adieu) to you, SPORTS. I will not be following you anymore as I prepare myself to ride into my own sunset.

Forestillingen Mortalities giver dig adgang til underverdenen, når dødens ledsager tager dig i hånden. Med forsigtige skridt træder I ud på en lang, knagende hængebro og drager om på den anden side. Virtual Reality-operaen Mortalities er et nyt operaformat. Fire gæster lukkes ind ad gangen til en eksklusiv oplevelse, der både er fysisk og virtuel. Efter et indledende ritual, bevæger du dig fysisk rundt i en stor live installation, hvor der udspiller sig en multisensorisk dødsopera. Seks versioner af døden Med inspiration fra nekroæstetiske aspekter af død har det kunstneriske hold udviklet seks versioner af døden, som du får mulighed for at afprøve. Du rejser gennem det kolde, det tunge, det beskidte, det forvrængede og kommer tæt på den fulde dekomposition – før der opstår liv igen. Librettoen er skrevet af Ursula Andkjær Olsen og sat i musik af SØS Gunver Ryberg der tilfører operasangernes stemmer et nyt udtryk i et elektronisk univers. Det visuelle udtryk er skabt af Ninna Steen, der i samarbejde med MANND og Quad studio forener den fysiske verden med et virtuelt univers. Konceptet er skabt og initieret af kunstnerisk leder Rebekka Bohse Meyer, der med Mortalities undersøger VRs potentiale for opera i Danmarks første VR-opera. Koncept, instruktion & kunstnerisk ledelse: Rebekka Sofie Bohse Meyer Komposition af elektronisk musik, kor & stemmer: SØS Gunver Ryberg Visuel kunstner/ design af rum og karakterer: Ninna Steen Libretto: Ursula Andkjær Olsen Animation & koreografi: Ninna Steen VR-udviklere: MANND VR-producer: Maria Herholdt Engermann VR lead technician: Jeppe Jost Etzerodt 3D modellering & 3D animation: Quad Studio Lydimplementering og lydeffekter: Frederik la Cour Shader Artist: Bastian Leonhardt Strube Vokal indspilninger, tekniker: Oliver Matthew Volz Tekstkonsulenter: Katrine Jensen, Orien Longo Maskedesign og produktion: Trine Thulstrup Rekvisitter: Niels Lau Nielsen Kostume: Mie Drud Producer: Lars Vind-Andersen Produktion: Jakobe Performing Arts Co-produktion: Sort/Hvid, Copenhagen Opera Festival Sangere Soloer komponeret ud fra improvisation med sangerne Live-sangere: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Katinka Marie Frida Bohse Meyer Sangere i VR: Anne-Kristine Skov Andersen, Kirsten Voss, Stephen Yeseta, Mathias Monrad Møller, Mikkel Tuxen Tak til Mikkel Krause Frantzen, Jakob Matzen, MixR lab, niimblr, ArtFreq Studio, Pavillion K Støttet af Statens Kunstfond, Bikubenfonden, Augustinus Fonden, William Demant Fonden, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Dansk Komponistforening, Dansk Skuespillerforbund, Dansk Solistforbund