'NO SUCH thing as innocent bystanding' – rarely have the words of Seamus Heaney in his lyrical poem Mycenae Lookout resonated so strongly as in the present environment of ideological conflict and international terrorism.
The poem, from his 1996 collection The Spirit Level, is inspired by a story from ancient Greece of the murder of Agamemnon by his wife, Clytemnestra, along with the Nobel prizewinner's thoughts on the north, pre-conflict and post-conflict. It will feature in a special exploration of the Syrian conflict at the Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Co Derry this weekend.
The reading of the poem is part of a series called Performance Reflections which invites an artist to respond – in whatever way they choose – to one of Heaney's poetry collections each month up to September.
The reading of Mycenae Lookout, and some others from the collection, will be enhanced by Arabic singing: joining Connemara-born actress, director and creative artist Olwen Fouéré will be Syrian opera singer Lubana Al Quntar for a one-off performance. The pair are currently starring together in the new dramatic retelling of the classic story Salomé at the National Theatre in London.
"In some ways I think Mycenae Lookout very much expresses what Heaney's position was and that was of the impotent ordinary citizen caught in crossfire and that there really is no such thing as innocent by-standing", says Fouéré.
"That's a really strong message, that no matter where you are in the conflict, and no matter what your attitude is, neutrality itself is kind of an impossible position and that you are always going to be complicit in something, one way or another."
Raised by her Breton-nationalist parents in a French-speaking house in the west of Ireland, Fouéré is no stranger to the north. She last performed here at the 2016 Belfast International Arts Festival and starred with west Belfast actor Martin McCann in the Bafta-nominated film The Survivalist the previous year.
She has performed her recent creation, the internationally acclaimed 'riverrun' play – an adaptation of the voice of the river in James Joyce's Finnegan’s Wake – across the world and has also appeared on the big screen with Sean Penn.
For Fouéré, Al Quntar's flight from her native Syria five months after the civil unrest and protests against President Bashar al-Assad descended into civil war, echoes the subtext of what Heaney was saying in his poetry.
“The Spirit Level explores issues of conflict and post-conflict society and Syria is one of the most potent areas of conflict in our world at the moment so I'm thrilled that Lubana, as one of that country’s most prominent artists, is able to collaborate on the event with me, to bring a fresh perspective on the conflict through her native music and Heaney’s words," she says.
"Lubana is an extraordinary talent but her talent is displaced at the moment. She has lived in the US for the last five years. Her talents aren't really been used there as her voice is a cross between a world music singer and an opera singer. My hope is that she will move to Europe soon."
Al Quntar is known as 'Syria's First Opera Singer' and had been head of the Opera Department of the High Institute of Music in Damascus before she was forced to flee as a refugee in 2012.
While feeling honoured to have been asked to perform Heaney's work at the HomePlace, she admits that when Salomé finishes in September, she will be taking it easy until early next year.
"I think I need 40 days in the desert. I need to stop for a while as I'm a bit burnt out," she says. "I will probably do a bit more film and screen work as I find it less all consuming. I love the pace of film work and feel that I've a lot more to learn from it.
:: Performance Reflections on The Spirit Level, Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy, Saturday June 24, 7.30pm; tickets £10 (seamusheaneyhome.com)
