Two performers, Inês Lacerda (percussionist) and Fran van Lysebettensand (alt singer), enter a small living room at the Nieuwe Plantagelaan in Delft. The living room is transformed to a theatrical space, in which the duo known as Inan Inan travel to the limits of the brain. It is a small space full of fellow spectators. as a result, you must find the stage sideways, overhead and in between other people. This search corresponds to the search for silence shared by Inan Inan in their musical performance.
Movement led by soundscape
They start sitting down while their movement is being led by a soundscape. The movements react to the sounds, or do the sound react to their movements? They are connected that’s for sure. They move synchronically, slowly the soundscape develops into something more recognizable. It’s so subtitle that we first start to question if we did hear a number there? But no, it really is “one” which the soundscape now says. Building up from there, but very slowly more concrete thoughts seem to form itself. From counting the words slowly start to form sentences, not immediately formed or understandable until it becomes one big mess of a lot of thoughts.
What is need to reach silence
Eventually it is van Lysebettensand who gets frustrated by the many thoughts with questions such as “Did I close the front door? A stranger can enter if I didn’t close the door”. She screams “shut up”. From there the duo stands up and make live sounds. They use different kinds of instruments to delve into the world of sound and silence. Sometimes they become silent, which is exactly what they are looking for; they artistically search for what is needed to reach the silence.
One brain?
Inan Inan takes you on a journey through their imaginary brain. Yet the viewer is left with a few questions; Are the performers one person inside of a brain or are they the brain? Or is one the brain and the other the person? Lacerda and van Lysebettensand wear the same clothing and do the same movements, which could hint to that they are one. If they are not, the reason why they do the same movements sitting down is not clear. Since the space this performance is seen in the spectator misses some of the movements, which is sad of course; if they would’ve stand it would’ve been fixed.
What comes first?
Then the question who reacts on who? When Lacerda starts to play the sounds van Lysebettensand sings the sounds back, or does she simultaneously react to each other. Maybe are those the questions the performers want you to have, since it makes you question your reaction to sound; what comes first the thought or the sound? The sound of the silence? They search for silence through sound; but if they found it remains the question.
- Inan Inan met 'Grey Matters' gezien op 31 mei 2025 in NP50 in Delft.
- Tekst: Roosmarijn Brans
- Foto: Inan Inan in De Waag. Fotograaf: Maurice Gemmeke.
