The Head & the Load

William Kentridge

11 – 15 July 2018 London WATCH THE FULL LENGTH PERFORMANCE

Image credit: Stella Olivier

The Head & the Load combined music, dance, film projections, mechanised sculptures and shadow play to tell the story of the millions of African porters and carriers who were involved in the First World War. The world premiere of this major new work was staged in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.William Kentridge is a remarkably versatile artist whose evocative vision combines the political with the poetic. Dealing with subjects as sobering as colonialism and totalitarianism, his highly personal work is often imbued with lyrical undertones and references to his native South Africa. Taking its title from the Ghanaian proverb, ‘the head and the load are the troubles of the neck,’ Kentridge’s most ambitious project to date drew on every aspect of his practice: drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpting, performance and filmmaking. Working alongside his longtime collaborator Philip Miller, one of South Africa’s leading composers, this celebrated artist created a stunning audiovisual monument to those who died for a cause that was not their own.The musical journey, as much an installation as a performance piece, combined performances by orchestra collective The Knights with an international cast of singers, dancers and performers, many of whom are based in South Africa. They were accompanied by a chorus of mechanised gramophones, projections and shadow play to create an extraordinary imaginative landscape on an epic scale.

WATCH THE FULL PERFORMANCE HERE UNTIL THE 24 AUGUST:

The Head & the Load was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW: WW1 Centenary Commissions, Park Avenue Armory, Ruhrtriennale and MASS MoCA with additional support from Holland Festival.

World premiere in London at Tate Modern produced by THE OFFICE performing arts + film in association with Quaternaire with support from the Naomi Milgrom Foundation. 14-18 NOW is supported by the National Lottery through Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, and by the Department for Digital Culture, Media & Sport.

The Head & the Load acknowledges the kind assistance of Marian Goodman Gallery, Goodman Gallery and Lia Rumma Gallery.

Lead support for the development of The Head & the Load was provided by Brenda R. Potter, Daniel R. Lewis, the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation and Jennifer & Jonathan Allan Soros, with further support from Alessia Bulgari and Agnes Gund. Additional support was provided by the JKW Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Wendy Fisher and those donors who wish to remain anonymous, and Simeon Bruner, Sarah McNair and Randal Fippinger, John and Cynthia Reed, Christian and Anna-Louise Rode and Quaternaire.

Developed in residence at MASS MoCA, North Adams, 2018, and Kentridge Studios, Johannesburg 2017-18.

Dates, Times & Locations

11 – 15 July 2018
Tate Modern
Turbine Hall
Bankside
London SE1 9TG

The animated projections and innovative stage set was open for visitors to see during Tate Modern’s public opening hours

Creative Team

William Kentridge
Concept & Director
Phillip Miller Composer
Thuthuka Sibisi Music Director
Catherine Meyburgh / Janus Fouché / Žana Marović
Video Design
Gregory Maqoma Choreographer
Greta Goiris Costume Designer
Sabine Theunissen Set Designer
Urs Schönebaum Lighting Designer
Luc De Wit Assistant Director
Mark Grey Sound Designer

Duško Marović Cinematography

Michael Atkinson / Philip Miller Orchestration

Performed and created by

Julia Zenzie Burnham, Mhlaba Buthelezi, Thulani Chauke, Luc De Wit, Hamilton Dlamini, Xolani Dlamini, Joanna Dudley, Ayanda Eleki, N`faly Kouyate, Grace Magubane, Nhlanhla Mahlangu, Tlale Makhene, Ncokwane Lydia Manyama, Gregory Maqoma, Ann Masina, Tshegofatso Moeng, Mapule Moloi, Bham Ntabeni, Vincenzo Pasquariello, Mncedisi Shabangu, Sipho Seroto, Lindokuhle Thabede with The Knights: Michael P. Atkinson, Sam Budish, Shawn Conley, Christina Courtin, Samuel Ewens, Mario Gotoh, Colin Jacobsen, Carol Jarvis, Nathan Koci, Adrian Miotti, David Nelson, Andrew Rehrig and Caitlin Sullivan.

REVIEWS

★★★★★

“cleverness to a truly sublime level, where the mind was constantly entranced, just as the body was engaged in uproarious physicality.” – The Telegraph

★★★★★

“an electrifying collage of imagery and ideas” – The Independent

★★★★★

“extraordinary elegance and emotional and visceral power” – The Evening Standard

★★★★

“A ruminative performance that brings a pointed value to colonised people whose shattered and lost lives were regarded as expendable” – The Times