Shortcoming – Gong Girl

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“Consider the whole of your life, what you already do, all your doings. Now please exclude everything which is naturally physiologically necessary (or harmful), such as breathing and sleeping (or breaking an arm). For what remains, exclude everything which is for the satisfaction of a social demand, a very large area which includes foremost your job, but also care of children, being polite, voting, your haircut, and much else. From what remains, exclude everything which is an agency, a "means" -- another very large area which overlaps with others to be excluded. From what remains, exclude everything which involves competition. In what remains, concentrate on everything done entirely because you just like it as you do it.” – Henry Flynt definition of "Brend," from “Against “Participation”: Total Critique of Culture”

Sigital Krutulys-Sygis (1967-1996) called himself a poet, thinker and professional dilletante. He wrote several drama works and a stack of poems, and in 1993-1995 actively participated in the development of Alytus avant-garde. He was radically critical of new capitalist relations and universal alienation. Almost none of his writings and creations have been published until this year, and his expression is a purest example of Henry Flynt's description of Brend. In 2021 January, his best friend Redas Dirzys, has collected and published the majority of Sygis (anti)literature (dramas, poems, short stories and at the same time something that does not fit any of those standards) in a form of book sequel. Pages – this is how the author suggested naming these works in order to avoid the toxic concept of art and creativity. In pages, grammar is ignored, text is transformed into matter/image and image into letters.

With Shortcoming, I tried to explore the failure of meeting a certain standard in a contemporary society. What does it mean to make something just for the sake of doing it? Without expecting anything in return and without trying to fit in in certain frameworks of the society. Us trying to constantly chase success and fame made us glorify hustle culture, being non-human, machine like creatures that are not allowed to make mistakes.

First track - Math won’t save the world is based on algorithm generated percussion pattern (made using custom build max for live device) and guitar improvisation. With this track I mainly experimented with machine and human collaboration for imperfect and unpredictable creative outcome.

The longest track and centre part of the whole project is Elephant. This track was based on an unnamed poem of Sygis, about our high ambitions that do not necessarily come true, and that it is not a bad thing. Instrumentation wise I continued my experimentation with computer generated rhythms, highly processed improvised guitar, and overlaid disintegrating cassette tape loops (for which I used another custom build max for live device that progressively destroyed loops by crushing sample rate and bit depth).

For a final track - Tale of darkness, I used another unnamed poem (he really did not like naming things) of Sygis. By using this poem of his I wanted to better look into the stereotypes of evil and bad and how we all have a not so glamorous sides of us. I have combined Sygis poem with family archive audio recording from 1995 (year of when I was born) between my father and my brother. So it happens, that previously mentioned best friend of Sygis, who has published his poems, is my father. And even though Sygis took his own life only a few months after I was born, I still have a very strong connection to his ideas and his way of thinking has influenced my own relationship with creativity.

- Gong Girl (Guoda Dirzyte)

Tracklisting:

1- “Matematika Pasaulio Neišgelbės“ {“Math won‘t save the world”} [5:04]

2 - “Dramblys” {“Elephant”} [10:24]

3 - “Tamsos Pasaka” {“Tale of darkness”} [5:10]

“Dramblys” {“Elephant”} Original lyrics:

Paseno

geras noras

pirkti dramblį..

O maniau – ilgam

Lyg dienų karšinčiaus

Užteks jėgų

norėti pirkti dramblį

Ir kainos dar neaugo

Ir laisvo ploto buvo

Ir pašaras nūnai

ne problema

O geras noras mano

Tas geras noras mano

Kai buvo tai...

Kai buvo tai..

Supuvo

Tai geras senas

Tai geras senas noras

Pirkti dramblį

Ir kainos dar neaugo

Ir laisvo ploto buvo

Ir pašaras

nūnai

ne problema

O geras noras mano

Tas geras noras mano

Kaip buvo tai supuvo

Tai geras senas

Tai geras senas noras

Pirkti dramblį

Madoms nepaklusnus

Kai velnias užsispyręs

Laukimui gan kantrus

Truputį per turtingas

Aš vieną dieną

Aš vieną dieną pajutau (pajutau)

Kad gyvenu (gyvenu)

kaip gyvanau (gyvenau)

Kad gyvenu taip (gyvenu)

Kaip gyvenau (gyvenau)

Kaip visada tarnauju

ne vien skandžiui (skrandžiui)

Kaip visada tarnauju

ne vien skandžiui (skrandžiui)

Bet dingo senas

senas geras

geras noras

pirkti dramblį

Bet dingo senas

senas geras

geras noras

pirkti dramblį

Bet dingo senas

senas geras

geras noras

pirkti dramblį

Bet dingo senas

senas geras

geras noras

pirkti dramblį

Uoj tą dramblį

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką aš vis labiau

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką aš vis labiau

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką aš vis labiau

Nepasakysiu

Nepasakysiu, kad liūdniau

pradėjau leisti laiką

Galbūt norėti,

taip ilgai

tokiems kaip aš nereikia

Galbūt norėti,

taip ilgai

tokiems kaip aš nesveika

Translated lyrics:

Died out

my good ambition

to buy an elephant.

And I thought – for good.

For days I wane.

Will I have enough strength

To buy an elephant.

And prices haven’t risen.

And my mind seems free.

And fodder

ain’t no problem.

Oh wish of mine

That wish of mine

It slowly went

Rotten

That good old

That good old wish

To buy an elephant

And prices haven’t risen.

And my mind seems free.

And fodder

ain’t no problem.

Oh wish of mine

That wish of mine

It slowly went rotten

That good old

That good old wish

To buy an elephant.

Resisting to fashion,

Like devil, I’m stubborn

Quite patient at times

A little too wealthy

One day I

One day I noticed (noticed)

That I live (live)

Same as before (before)

That I live (live)

Same as before (before)

As always I care

More than what’s in my stomach (stomach)

As always I care

More than what’s in my stomach (stomach)

But faded

The good old

The good old wish

To buy an elephant

But faded

The good old

The good old wish

To buy an elephant

But faded

The good old

The good old wish

To buy an elephant

But faded

The good old

The good old wish

To buy an elephant

Oh that elephant.

I wouldn’t say that

more and more

my days got bleaker

I wouldn’t say that

they got worse

I wouldn’t say that

more and more

my days got bleaker

I wouldn’t say that

they got worse

I wouldn’t say that

more and more

my days got bleaker

I wouldn’t say

I wouldn’t say that

they got worse

Maybe to want something

For so long

For someone like me

Is needless

Maybe to want something

For so long

For someone like me

Is lethal

“Tamsos Pasaka” {“Tale of darkness”} Original lyrics:

Tau netamsu?

Netamsu

Ten?

Ten

Tau netamsu ?

Vajetau

Tau netamsu?

Netamsu

Ten?

Ten

Tau netamsu ?

Vajetau

Tau netamsu?

Netamsu

Ten?

Ten

Tau netamsu ?

Vajetau

Tau netamsu ?

Vajetau..

Tingus žvėris

Tingus žvėris mane nušaus

(Neee)

Švelnus žvėris

Švelnus žvėris mane nušaus

(Arba)

Švelnus žvėris

(Arba)

Švelnus žvėris

(Arba)

Švelnus žvėris

Švelnus žvėris tave papjaus

(geriau)

Ugnies žvėris

Ugnies žvėris tave nušaus

Kulka sidabro atkaklaus

(Ką dar?)

Tingus žvėris

(Ką dar?)

Tingus žvėris

(Ką dar?)

Tingus žvėris tave papjaus

Švelnus žvėris tave prapjaus

Vandens žvėris tave pasmaugs

Dangaus žvėris tave nubaus

Ugninis paukštis jam tarnaus

Namų žvėris

Namų žvėris tavį užaugs

(Nėra sidabro atkaklaus)

Translated lyrics:

Kid:Is it not too dark?

Father:No

Kid:There?

Father:There

Kid:Is it not too dark for you?

Father:No

Kid:Vajetau{Lithuanian interjection equivalent to golly}

Kid:Is it not too dark?

Father: No

Kid:There?

Father:There

Kid: Is it not too dark for you ?

Father:No

Kid:Vajetau

Kid:Is it not too dark?

Father:No

Kid:There?

Father:There

Kid:Is it not too dark for you?

Father:No

Kid:Vajetau

Kid:Is it not too dark for you?

Kid:Vajetau

Lazy beast

Lazy beast will shoot me down

(Nooo)

Gentle beast

Gentle beast will shoot me down

(Or)

Gentle beast

(Or)

Gentle beast

(Or)

Gentle beast

Gentle beast will cut you down

(Better)

Fire beast

Fire beast will shoot you down

With immovable bullet of silver

(What else?)

Lazy beast

(What else?)

Lazy beast

(What else?)

Lazy beast will cut you down

Gentle beast will cut you down

Water beast will strangle you

Heaven beast will punish you

and fire bird will serve him

Home beast

Home beast will grow inside of you

(There’s no immovable silver)

Your basket is now empty.

Shortcoming – Gong Girl

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