Static Resistance - Norient

Static Resistance | norient.com                                             5 Jul 2022 21:38:13

    Static Resistance
    by RRRKRTA

    Taking their name from a word meaning an ill-behaved,
    immature young woman, Polish band SIKSA and their
    frontwoman Alex Freiheit intrigue RRRKRTA with their
    dissociative approach to revolution. No wonder they are the
    subject of a performative dream of a film co-directed with
    Piotr Macha.

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    Just how static can resistance become? This was a question I asked myself in
    2017 upon witnessing SIKSA’s breakout performance in Katowice, Poland.
    For a brief moment, Alex Freiheit, the frontwoman, seemed like the only
    person having fun. No drums, no rhymes, not even the bass player keeping
    the rhythm. There she was, running in the crowd, seemingly uncoordinated,
    yet patiently observant. So that when the time came, she could suddenly drop
    the most personal stories of abuse and inner conflict on the unsuspecting
    audience. It became clear that her modus operandi is to STOP things from
    happening for a while – not at all a typical punk experience.

    Building a Revolutionary from the Ground Up
    SIKSA’s gigs, as well as their film with director Piotr Macha, Stabat Mater
    Dolorosa, disguise Freiheit’s dissociative approach with calculated profanity
    aimed at sexual predators, parents, church, and state. This is not really why
    so many people feel offended by their performances, though. Freiheit might

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Static Resistance | norient.com                                               5 Jul 2022 21:38:13

    be a self-described bayonet, «stabbing that which is contemporary», but
    she’s actually quite stoic, even at times cynical, letting silence and
    unmodulated noise play its part. Which is why, between the lines, we’re
    invited to watch this movie not as an all-out attack on oppression but as proof
    of how intimate (and, at times, ridiculous) protest can get. It’s a musical, not
    a shock-rock music video.

    The movie’s story is actually an accessible guide to building a revolutionary
    from the ground up. Childhood memories of socially accepted violence,
    teenage angst channeled through wordplay, and stunted family
    conversations, all show how easy it is to be deeply disgusted with patriarchy
    and its everyday manifestations. Freiheit’s dispassionate tone reminds us
    that the pretentious, mannered, and hence thin and predictable chauvinism
    that still prevails in Polish society is vulnerable, and can be exposed or even
    destroyed when it’s simply exposed to the light – and that emotional
    attachment may be the only thing protecting it. Of course, a healthy dose of
    controversy is included, like when Freiheit fakes pleas for a certain right-wing
    MP to come back home after years of abuse. Or when the images of a fashion
    show organized by famed Polish designer Tomasz Armada are interwoven
    with Freiheit renouncing feminism.

    Dissociate, Drift Away
    Her secret power, however, is not brute force but an ability to join
    compassion and sensitivity with asynchronicity and dissonance. I felt it
    during the group’s unannounced performance halfway through a techno
    night I was involved in. By means of performative fury, coated with
    unexpected grace and an understanding of the hecklers, Freiheit was able to
    effectively conquer the audience’s hearts. SIKSA plays with the Polish word
    siksa – meaning an ill-behaved, immature young woman – and the group lets
    the party stop and fume, creating a sense of stillness to reroute the narrative.

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    The same happens in Stabat Mater Dolorosa when Freiheit tells the story of
    her Turkish friend, Alper Sapan, who was killed in an attack in Kobane, Syria.
    Against the backdrop of boxers representing countries governed by
    authoritarian rulers, Freiheit claims that she’s happy he didn’t come to visit
    her since he would have been attacked by her hateful compatriots, and it was
    perhaps better that he died. It’s only then that we hear a scream that’s not
    faked. All the distractions she presents turn out to be emotionally productive,
    even if the only person to witness this is a guy dressed up as a banana.
    Against all the things thrown in your face, it’s wise to let SIKSA knock you off
    your rhythm. Dissociate, drift away. Then let them pull you back in.

    → Trailer

    The film «SIKSA: Stabat Mater Dolorosa» by Piotr Macha was officially
    selected at the Norient Film Festival NFF 2021. See full program here.

    This text is part of Norient’s essay publication «Nothing Sounds the Way It
    Looks», published in 2021 as part of the Norient Film Festival 2021.

    Bibliographic Record: Rhensius, Philipp. 2021. «Editorial: NFF 2021 Essay
    Collection.» In Nothing Sounds the Way It Looks, edited by Philipp Rhensius
    and Lisa Blanning (NFF Essay Collection 2021). Bern: Norient. (Link).

    → published on january 17, 2021

    → last updated on september 09, 2021

    RRRKRTA is based in Warsaw, Poland. He hosts a radio show on Czwórka public
    radio, runs DJ workshops for Instytut Dźwięku & co-curates the music program for
    Unsound festival. He has written for Electronic Beats, Eastern Daze, CTM Festival,
    and Krytyka Polityczna, and is/was involved in the Brutaż parties and record label.

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