Aria
Chana Anushik Manhaimer & Avner Pinchover, single-channel full-HD video, 2:13
The work was screened at Binyamin Gallery, Tel Aviv on the occasion of "Aria & Echo" – a response event to the exhibition "Drywall" by Bush Collective (curators: Faina Feigin & Noga Or Yam). In the video, a man – not clear whether juvenile or adult – performs a phrase from the Aria "Der hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen", part of Mozart's "Magic Flute". The part is considered especially challenging due to its extremely high tones. It was written only for virtuoso soprano singers – namely women or hypothetically boys whose voice hasn't yet changed. In the video, the performer begins on a scale that naturally fits his voice. He then tries one octave higher but reaches his range's limit. The camera focuses on his adam's apple and bristles – masculine features signifying the post-liminal stage of the maturing body. He sings a single line: "then you will be my daughter nevermore." In the original piece, the Queen of the Night doesn't accept the transition in her daughter's loyalty –from her to another man – and reacts with aggression and loss of control facing the inevitable
