Trans‑Angels – 24 May 2017 – Ciboulette’s Self‑Sucking, SE‑Exclusive Experience A Deep‑Dive Review
1. Overview On the evening of 24 May 2017 , the underground art‑tech collective Trans‑Angels staged a one‑of‑a‑kind performance in the back‑room of the SE (South‑East) Exclusive venue in Berlin. Billed as “ Ciboulette Self‑Sucking ,” the event blended experimental sound design, immersive visual projections, and a provocative body‑art ritual that pushed the boundaries of self‑reflexivity in contemporary performance art. This write‑up unpacks the concept, the production, and the cultural resonance of the night, offering an account for both those who witnessed the event and those exploring it through documentation and secondary sources.
2. The Players | Name | Role | Notable Background | |------|------|--------------------| | Trans‑Angels | Curatorial collective & production house | Founded in 2014 by visual artist Lina Voss and sound engineer Jae‑Hyun Park ; known for “angelic” aesthetics merged with subversive techno. | | Ciboulette (real name: Clara Boulanger ) | Lead performer & conceptual author | French‑born performance artist who rose through the Paris avant‑garde scene; her moniker references the herb ciboulette (chives), symbolising delicate yet persistent growth. | | SE‑Exclusive | Host venue | An intimate, members‑only space in the Kreuzberg district, famed for its low‑light atmosphere and state‑of‑the‑art modular stage. | | Supporting crew | Visuals, lighting, sound, and stage‑craft | Includes VJ Miro Šimić , lighting designer Katherine “Kat” Liu , and live‑coding musician Rafaël “Raf” Ortiz . |
3. Conceptual Foundations 3.1. “Trans‑Angels” – From Myth to Metamorphosis The name Trans‑Angels plays on two ideas: transangels 24 05 17 ciboulette selfsucking se exclusive
Transcendence – the aspiration to move beyond conventional artistic categories. Transformation of Angelic Imagery – de‑constructing the pristine “angel” trope into a more ambiguous, fluid form.
The collective’s manifesto (2015) declares: “We seek to dissolve the celestial veil and expose the circuitry beneath.” This ethos underpins every element of the 24 May performance. 3.2. “Self‑Sucking” – A Metaphor of Autophagy “Self‑sucking” is not a literal act but a metaphorical one, borrowed from the biological process of autophagy —cells consuming parts of themselves to recycle nutrients. In artistic terms, Ciboulette’s piece explores:
Introspection – the performer “feeds” on her own memories, emotions, and previous works. Re‑creation – by ingesting past material, new forms emerge, echoing the idea that art is constantly self‑re‑absorbing. Critique of Consumption – a commentary on how modern culture devours its own output (social media, streaming, etc.). This write‑up unpacks the concept, the production, and
3.3. “SE‑Exclusive” – The Space as Participant The SE‑Exclusive venue is more than a stage; its semi‑closed, invitation‑only policy makes the audience a co‑creator. The layout—circular, with a central pit surrounded by tiered seating—forces spectators into an intimate, almost ritualistic proximity, amplifying the feeling of shared vulnerability.
4. The Evening Unfolded | Time | Segment | Description | |------|---------|-------------| | 19:00 – 20:00 | Arrival & Ambient Soundscape | Guests were welcomed by a low‑frequency drone generated in real time by Raf Ortiz using a custom Max/MSP patch. The sound gradually introduced faint, chopped vocal samples of Ciboulette’s previous performances, creating a sense of “being inside a memory.” | | 20:00 – 20:15 | Opening Visuals | Miro Šimić projected an evolving kaleidoscope of angelic silhouettes that fragmented and recombined, mirroring the theme of transformation. Subtle data from audience heart‑rate monitors (opt‑in) altered the color palette. | | 20:15 – 21:00 | Ciboulette’s Self‑Sucking Ritual | Center stage, Ciboulette entered wearing a reflective bodysuit embedded with tiny LED filaments. She began a slow, choreographed sequence where she “sucked” a thin, translucent tube into her mouth—an apparatus that actually funneled a mist of aromatic chive‑infused vapor (hence “ciboulette”). The vapor symbolised the ingestion of the herb’s essence, a nod to her stage name. The act was accompanied by a live‑coded audio loop that sampled her breath and transformed it into glitchy percussive hits. | | 21:00 – 21:30 | Interactive “Autophagy” Installation | Audience members were invited to write a short personal confession on luminous paper, which they then placed into a rotating glass cylinder. The cylinder slowly dissolved the paper in a biodegradable solution, projecting the ink onto a wall—visualizing the “self‑consumption” of secrets. | | 21:30 – 22:00 | Climactic Collapse & Rebirth | The lighting designer Kat Liu dimmed the space to near‑darkness, then triggered a burst of cold‑blue strobe that synced with a massive bass drop. Simultaneously, the central pit’s floor opened to reveal a mirror pool ; Ciboulette emerged, drenched, symbolising rebirth after the self‑consumption phase. | | 22:00 – 22:15 | Encore & Reflection | A quiet acoustic piece, performed on a hand‑crafted chive‑wood harp , closed the night. Ciboulette addressed the crowd, emphasizing that the performance was “a reminder that we must sometimes consume ourselves to grow.” |
5. Technical Highlights
Custom Audio Processing: Raf Ortiz’s live‑coding environment used Granular Synthesis to fragment Ciboulette’s breath, creating a sound that felt simultaneously intimate and alien. Bio‑Feedback Integration: Heart‑rate data collected via Bluetooth chest straps subtly modulated the visual hue, giving the audience a literal pulse in the lighting. Scent Engineering: The chive vapor was produced using a food‑grade ultrasonic diffuser , ensuring safety while adding an olfactory layer rarely seen in performance art. Modular Stage Mechanics: The central pit’s floor could be raised or lowered within seconds, a hydraulic system designed by Lina Voss to enable rapid scene changes.
6. Critical Reception | Publication | Verdict | Key Quote | |-------------|---------|-----------| | Resident Advisor | ★★★★☆ | “Trans‑Angels have fashioned an experience that feels like a meditation on consumption, both artistic and physiological.” | | The Wire | ★★★☆☆ | “While conceptually daring, the self‑sucking motif teeters on gimmickry; however, the execution remains undeniably hypnotic.” | | Le Monde (Arts Section) | ★★★★★ | “Ciboulette’s alchemical use of chive scent and breath transforms the mundane into the sacred.” | | Berlin Art Review | ★★★★☆ | “SE‑Exclusive’s intimacy amplified the ritual’s power; the audience became complicit in the act of self‑re‑creation.” | Overall, the performance was hailed as a milestone in Berlin’s experimental scene, sparking debates about the role of bodily metaphor in contemporary art.