Harms fault!

“An old woman fell out of the window because she was too curious. She fell and broke into pieces.”

Enter Harms' illogical machine, a contraption that smashes glass, plays symphonies, and triggers stories, incidents, and motifs from one of the last representatives of the Russian avant-garde, Harms-Šardam, Kharms, Dandan, Harmonius… or whoever. Actor, puppeteer, and musician Matija Solce, through gentle animation of soft, realistic puppets, objects, and materials, as well as through grotesque cabaret and instrumental passages, weaves a situational comedy that challenges and provokes contemporary stereotypes through the absurdity of never-ending falling grandmothers.

At the heart of the performance is an original instrument, a composition of accordions, bagpipes, analog mechanisms, doll parts, midi technology, and clocks without hands. This complex orchestrion brings to life Charm’s “Old woman” story and other known and unknown themes. In the blink of an eye, these themes transform from atmospheric lite motifs into sarcastic executions of gentle characters. The audience is treated to an exciting visual, sound, and figurative illusion, witnessing its continuous deconstruction as associative comic fragments escalate into the artist's ultimate defeat.

Kharms met a tragic end, succumbing to starvation in prison on charges of 'anti-Soviet activism.' In 2022, his mural was removed from his birthplace, this time for no apparent reason. Blame Kharms. For nothing.