Music Odd Beholder questions the Swiss "culture of silence"
Odd Beholder's electronic pop is intended to provide solace in a Swiss culture of silence, she says. The musician has now released short films for six of her songs, inspired by the "Tschägättä" of the Lötschental carnival.
07.11.2024, 09:54
SDA
"My music is a bit like therapy or a comfy sweater. It provides comfort. It gives me the security I need to write dark lyrics or those that address difficult topics," says Daniela Weinmann, alias Odd Beholder, in an interview with Keystone-SDA.
As an artist, she is committed to combating the culture of silence that is widespread in Switzerland, says Weinmann. This country is characterized by an oppressive atmosphere: "You have to abide by rules, whether in terms of behavior or clothing." Anything that seems out of the norm or "bizarre" is viewed badly, as she sings in her song "Dogs Like Me", which was released on the album "Feel Better" in 2023.
Filmed in Brig
The song is one of six songs that Odd Beholder is showcasing in a short film. Each week, one of the clips will appear on social media; the release began at the end of October and will run until November 21. The concept for the videos was developed with artist Lukasz Polowczyk and directed by Raya Al Souliman.
The stories of the short films revolve around a teenager, a young woman living in a small Swiss town. She feels alienated in her own family and social environment and struggles with her own identity.
The footage was shot in Brig. For Weinmann, this is a place between tradition and modernity, offering a kind of "clash" between the two.
Weinmann herself grew up in a "very boring" agglomeration in the Zurich region. "Everything is practical, everything is geared towards work. But there was no sense of community and no rituals to unite people," says the musician.
Observer of customs
At the end of each film, a masked figure appears, inspired by the "Tschägättä", as the "monsters" of the Lötschental are called. The musician, who lives in Aargau, is interested in living traditions, but does not see herself as part of them: "I have an observational position that wants to both honor and critically examine a beautiful tradition."
Such exceptional times are "not necessarily a safe place for everyone when you think of the violent behavior of some participants or the amounts of alcohol that are consumed there".
During carnival time, people are allowed to behave in a way that "doesn't conform to the norm", the artist continues. But only then. At the same time, she criticizes that there is still a lack of acceptance of transgender people in Switzerland.
In addition, the SVP and circles close to it have claimed Swiss customs and traditions for themselves in order to adapt them to their conservative world view.
Film for music, music for film
It soon becomes clear that the visual element is important for the musician Odd Beholder and her art. It completes her oeuvre to form a body of work that goes beyond pure pop music.
This is evident, for example, in her current single "Dahlia" - a melancholy dream-pop ballad that is a manifesto for the liberation of female sexuality: Weinmann was commissioned by directors Agnès Tiberghien and Lumi Lausa to compose the music for their short film of the same name. A welcome turn of events for an artist who grew up with the MTV clips of the 1990s.
Weinmann's work does not end with the creative side, however. She is involved in "Music Declares Emergency". The association of artists and organizations calls for the music industry to take a more careful approach to its own environmental impact.
