Giuseppe Stellato - Oblò

What happens when we position a microphone inside a washing machine?
A reassuring domestic sound related to a familiar object, is slowly transformed, becoming hypnotic and bewildering until it turns into the dramatic story of a death.
Not just any death, but an image we have all seen on our computers, on our smartphones, which we can watch over and over as many times as we want, thanks to the red strip that lets us upload videos. This easy viewing, known as “going viral”, makes us partly indifferent to powerful and dramatic images.
While today’s technology may make communication easier, it also serves as a filter for the reality around us, laundering our consciences to some degree. Like washing machines with our dirty laundry. That is what happens to us when we see an image of a death, even that of a child.
This work explores the boundaries between installation, theatre performance and live sets, particularly in regards to the sound. The washing machine, with a microphone inside it, generates different sounds every time it runs, which are elaborated live in a real sound improvisation that intersects with the narration, generating different sounds and atmospheres with each performance.