Akiko Hada "The Fall of a Queen"

In the organizer's words:

The Fall of a Queen, or The Taste of Fruit to Come (1991) by Akiko Hada is a video opera that combines singing, spoken language, sign language and subtitles into a multi-layered audiovisual form. It is based on a libretto by Wolfgang Müller.

The queen, played by the singer Hermoine Zittlau, mingles incognito with her discontented people to prevent a coup. She sings and speaks in English. Opposite her is the royal advisor, played by deaf activist and sign language poet Gunter Trube, who signs in British Sign Language (BSL) and International Sign (IS).

Produced for the British television station Channel 4, the video opera is aimed at a hearing, English-speaking audience. Subtitles translate selected dialog and sign language passages into English, while the English vocal passages and spoken texts remain largely untranslated. In this way, communication can be experienced as hierarchical, fragile and unstable.

The work is now being expanded for the first time with barrier-free subtitles, so-called captions, by the Carefuffle working group, which translate language, sound and music into text. Through font, color, position, animation and timing, the subtitles themselves become a visual element that questions hierarchies of perception and opens up new aesthetic and critical perspectives.

The Fall of a Queen, or The Taste of the Fruit to Come
16.04.-06.05.2026, Thu - Sun, 2 - 6 pm
Storage Museum (Himmelgeister Str. 107, 40225 Düsseldorf)

This is part of the exhibition Circulating Copies by Sitfung IMAI. All further information can be found on our website.