Haphephobia (from latin) - fear of touch

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At the very end of 2020, Jerzy Kornowicz (artistic director of Warsaw Autumn festival) asked Ryterski if he wants to curate a concert, which would focus on the LGBTQ+ cultural phenomenons (WE'RE HERE concert, Warsaw Autumn 2021). Also, the festival commissioned a new piece from the composer, that would fit in the concert's topic. The idea for this new piece has emerged during pandemic, at the very end of 2020. Ryterski was thinking about a piece that would somehow relates to this dramatic times. Also, as an LGBTQ+ person, he wanted also to remind, that COVID-19 was not the biggest pandemic of 20th and 21st century - in fact, HIV/AIDS is still non-curable virus/disease.

 

On the other hand, year 2020 was a very difficult one in Poland and poles, regarding presidential elections, LGBTQ+ protests, Woman protests and many more. Ryterski wanted to create a piece, that would somehow embrace all these elements, while also remaining much more open for the interpretations. However, in the process of composing, Haphephobia became something much more than a comment to the polish reality or the past of the HIV/AIDS victims.

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Performer (preferably a percussionist, but could be also a dancer or an actor/actress) is closed in a cage (with a snare drum inside), that is made of Plexiglas and metal. All the walls of the cage are amplified and the sound is heavily processed. Performer has to play on the different surfaces - plexiglass walls, metal sheet, wooden floor or the leather-like snare drum - by touching, rubbing, sliding etc.

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This piece was written for and dedicated to Aleksander Wnuk.