Arabic: a high-pitched ululation or vibrating cry, used to express joy during festive occasions. Harnessing this ancient vocal technique to full effect, the group has developed its own sound palette and timbre, centring on the female voice and its ability to occupy and transform a space. The YouYou Group’s compositions – whether performance, film or installation – are internationally renowned for their extraordinary force of expression.

Segen is a vocal work, a cappella and without amplification. It is an invitation to listen to a place, in this case a street. How are the acoustic and sonic qualities of that place shaped by its architecture, urban history and social reality? How can a piece of music, through its form and focus, simultaneously reveal and transform a place? Four performers slowly converge from different directions to form a “quartet with a mission”.

Photos: © Camille Blake - Berliner Festspiele