dunaPart 2026 / Dávid Somló: The (Dis)Appearance of Rituals

Dávid Somló’s work is characterised by a sensitive exploration of the relationship between sound, space and movement. In recent years, an extremely mundane object – a twig – and the act of balancing it have become the crux of Dávid Somló’s artistic practice. This simple task simultaneously focuses attention to the most minuscule movements of the body, to the perception of concentration and time, and to the community situation in which all this takes place. What is particularly fascinating about The (Dis)appearance of the Ritual is that participation in this work does not entail any pressure to be active, express oneself or communicate; instead, it offers an opportunity to slow down, focus, and experience non-verbal forms of being together. By interweaving lecture, choreography, participatory performance and meditative practice, The (Dis)appearance of the Ritual offers a format that is at once artistic research, communal experiment and performative event. (Ádám Czirák, dunaPart curator)

The performance emerges from an artistic research process that grew out of his Halász Péter Award-nominated participatory work Delicate Balancing of a Twig. Through this research, Somló investigates the community-building potential of shared symbolic actions. The performance takes the South Korean-born German philosopher Byung-Chul Han’s book The Disappearance of Rituals as its artistic and sociological point of departure. According to Han, rituals give lasting form to time and can create forms of community that are not primarily based on the exchange of information or constant communication. Theoretical reflections are interwoven with forms and collective prcatices drawn from Somló’s participatory artistic practice. The audience is therefore not simply listening to the performance, but actively taking part in a shared inquiry into how ritual experiences might reappear in contemporary life.

Dávid Somló is a Budapest-based performance maker and sound artist. His works take the form of sound choreographies, sound theatre pieces, participatory performances and site-responsive installations. Spatial sound is central to his artistic language: with a toolkit of several dozen portable speakers, he creates flexible and interactive sonic environments. He often works in public space and unusual locations, ranging from underpasses, factories and forests to Turkish baths, synagogue gardens and private flats. All of his works require active participation to varying degrees, creating frameworks in which there are no right or wrong decisions. Dávid Somló’s work has appeared around the world – e.g. in the programme of: Prague Quadriennale (CZ), Festival d'Avignon (FR), Passage Festival (DK), FiraTárrega (ES), D-CAF (EG), Festival XS Bruxelles (BE), 4+4 Days in Motion Festival (CZ), FIME Sao Paolo (BR), Istanbul Fringe (TR), Sonorities (NIR), Mais Imaginarius (PT), Montag Modus (GER), UH Festival (HU), Placcc Festival (HU). He is an associate artist of public space performance network IN SITU and Placcc Festival.