Cyprianus Radio #6

IMAGE

Cyprianus Radio #6 - Precious Mayhem

TEXT

Experience a truly unique, conceptual concert with Precious Mayhem at Vesthimmerlands Museum on Sunday, November 24th.
This immersive experience is specially created for the evening and draws inspiration from the hidden stories and folklore of Borremosen.

In this intimate performance, composer, vocalist, and cellist Precious Mayhem (Amanda Drew) leads the audience into a world where music and mythology intertwine, revealing nature’s secrets and the darkness of human emotions in a cyclical dance between life and death.
With cello, synthesizer, guitar, and the voice, Precious Mayhem crosses genres and moods. Her music ranges from chamber pieces and choral works to ‘90s techno and avant-pop, creating a dark, occult atmosphere that envelops the audience in a hypnotic tension.
Precious Mayhem is known for her performative concerts, which use narrative and physical interaction to bridge the gap between art and audience. This evening will be marked by contrasting themes of trauma, care, anger, and hope. On stage, she will be joined by artist Mie Søgaard, who will create visuals, and folk musician Christian Mohr Levisen, who will play the rare hurdy-gurdy, a string-based mechanical instrument with medieval roots, producing cello-like drone tones and resonant melodies in the viola range.
Inspired by the bog as a symbol of death and preservation, the concert becomes a cyclical narrative that intertwines folklore with avant-garde, experimental musical expressions. Through her music, Precious Mayhem will unite elements of death and rebirth—nature dying and being preserved—where the rhythm of the concert feels almost like a slow, ritualistic cycle.
The audience can expect an experience that leads them to both calm and rebellion, as the bog and its secrets are brought to life in darkness and mysticism.

This event is part of the Cyprianus Radio series, a set of six free events focused on culture and nature in Rebild, Jammerbugt, and Vesthimmerlands municipalities, created and organized by the curator group Kaellingstenen.
The project, Cyprianus Radio, is named after the old books of magic and spells, and seeks to re-enchant humanity’s relationship with nature - specifically, three nature areas in Northern Jutland.
Throughout 2024, Kaellingstenen has invited a diverse group of artists working in sound, performance, and literature to create new works or experiences for each event, inspired by the natural landscapes of Rold Skov, Tingskoven, and Borremosen in the respective municipalities. The event on Sunday, November 24th in Aars will be the sixth and final in this series.

Don’t miss this exceptional (and final) concert, where both nature and the event series will retreat into winter hibernation.
The event will begin with an introduction to Borremosen by archaeologist Louise Villadsen, who brings the history of the site and the stories of the dead to life. Precious Mayhem will then guide the audience into a dark, cyclical musical journey, which will conclude with an artist talk about the project.

The event is accessible to wheelchair users and others with special needs.

About the Artists

Precious Mayhem is a solo project by composer, songwriter, vocalist, and cellist Amanda Drew (she/her). With cello, synthesizer, guitar, and voice, she places herself at the intersection of chamber music, choral movements, and ‘90s techno, in a dark, almost occult, experimental avant-pop field. Her music embraces contrasts in themes such as anger, trauma, care, and hope, expressed through confronting lyrics, captivating melodies, and tender strokes.
On October 25th, Precious Mayhem released her debut album The Softness I Sing - a concept album of waltzing sleepwalker songs from nights filled with anxiety and care. Through performative narratives and conceptual live performances, Precious Mayhem sings her listeners into both calm and rebellion.

Christian Mohr Levisen is a multi-instrumentalist, born and raised in Vendsyssel, but with deep roots in various folk music traditions. He has recently studied and trained in folk music at institutions such as Skurup Folkhögskola in Skåne and the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Christian’s main instrument is the rare hurdy-gurdy, a string-based mechanical instrument with medieval roots, which produces cello-like drone tones and resonant melodies in the viola range.
In addition, he also plays the Swedish cittern (a 10-string octave mandolin), an instrument developed to imitate the intricate ornaments and microtonal elements of the Swedish violin tradition. Another instrument he plays is the Swedish-Estonian tagelharpa, an ancient stringed instrument that predates the violin.

Mie Søgaard is a multimedia artist and BGK student in Aalborg. She has been trained in classical Russian drawing and oil painting at "The Drawing Academy" at the Animation School in Viborg, but she also works in several other styles, including surrealist and abstract art.
Currently, she works with clay and has recently begun experimenting with mixing liquid colors with oil and water on overhead projectors, a technique known from the 1960s psychedelic light shows, or “liquid light shows.”
She has performed this technique at concerts, including En Festival in Hjørring, and it will also be projected during Cyprianus Radio #6.

Thanks to Vesthimmerlands Kommune, Region Nordjylland, and Iværk for supporting the project.
A special thank you to Louise Villadsen and Vesthimmerlands Museum for their collaboration.

ursuppe is a public service for contemporary art in Denmark, amplifying events, archives, and highlights, as well as providing a pinboard

24 Nov 2024

Vesthimmerlands Museum, Søndergade 44, 9600 Aars

Add to calendar (.ics) or subscribe to feed

IMAGE

TEXT