Die Tödliche Doris
«Natural Disaster Concert»

Here, Die Tödliche Doris presents 'Do-it-Yourself Catastrophes' – game instructions, ideas to imitate, and genius dilettantism – in its usual radical and ironic way. A triple solo with various instruments (of torture): song, interpreted by Käthe Kruse; accordion, prepared with tacks and played by Nikolaus Utermöhlen; and Wolfgang Müller on the violin, all in front of burning microphones, is followed by a silent trio – the electric cords burned through, the sound relay interrupted, and only the video band still running.
Along with the performance of the 'Natural Disaster Ballet' (which was also recorded for the legendary 'Rock Palace' broadcast by WDR), this clip-length 'concert' is a magical invocation of a despoiled nature, staged on a denatured, urban natural stage near the Berlin Wall in Kreuzberg District. But the carefully-planned actionism of the three dilettants is always also a calculated use of media, whether film, recording tape, microphone, perfumed petroleum, or, as here, a cigarette lighter. The live version of the concert was performed as 'song' at the documenta 8 in 1987, among other places.

Rudolf Frieling