Twice Through the Heart (2011 DOWNIE ESHKAR KAISER)

In December 2011 at Sadler’s Wells (UK), we were invited immerse soloist Sarah Connolly in an ethereal 3D stage environment for a live chamber opera Twice Through the Heart. Originally composed in 1997 by English composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, the staging was choreographed anew by Wayne MacGregor.

The English-language libretto by poet Jackie Kay depicts the misery of a working class english housewife imprisoned for killing her abusive husband. Our floating imagery is suggestive of her mental state: the suffocating fear and violence she endured for years in a cramped council flat, along with brief mirages of the happy life she had once hoped for. To create the imagery, we traveled to Dartington to photographically capture the council housing flat of 70’s vintage.

All stage photos above by Ravi Deepres, 2011.