The weather never agrees with your wardrobe. You would vote for Hillary, but she’s a woman. With air conditioning it’s too cold, without it you’re shvitzing. Not even your menopausal mother cares. Fortunately, a Finnish artist couple does, and they’re letting you share your woes publicly – and with a melody – come November.
Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen recognize the necessity to complain every once in a while.
“It’s a basic form of expression,” Kochta-Kalleinen says.
That’s why the two decided to turn it into an art form, transforming individual gripes and moans into a song composed and performed by complainers in various cities. Now courtesy of Smog Veil Records and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, it’s our turn.
Two years after its start in Birmingham, England, and four European performances later, the Complaints Choir is making its U.S. debut in the Windy City as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival.
So far over 90 people have signed up to unload their quips and qualms – a record number if all take part.
“Can’t the city tear up a street and repair it in a timely fashion? And don’t get me started on the expressways,” Choir participant Susan Kezon says. “Why can’t they do one at a time and not a bunch of them at once?”
The Chicago-based photographer says a bit of complaining can be healthy.
“It helps to let it out and then move on – a release of unhappiness and frustration,” she says.
Participant Mia Horberg, 28, takes pride in sharing frustrations about her hometown.
“I love Chicago, so it’s kind of like when we complain about a family member: nobody else outside of your family can complain about it but you,” says the producer for interactive content at the Chicago Tribune.Horberg sees a therapeutic value in the choir.
“The big draw is making fun of your complaints because I feel like if you can sing about them for entertainment value,” she explains. “Then it’s taking things less seriously – even if they’re legitimate complaints.”
Horberg hates when people do not check the toilet bowl post-flushing and leave turds behind. And she’s ready to sing about it.
Though talk of excrements is often a hit, the purpose of a Complaints Choir goes beyond the guaranteed laugh, Kochta-Kalleinen says. It builds relationships and confidence.
“Your individual complaint becomes less important and the song more,” he says. “People are proud of what they’ve achieved and end up performing really powerfully even though most have never met before.”
Changing the world is also a positive byproduct. Perhaps it will even solve a recently submitted complaint about a guy peeing off of balconies. One can hope. The street is not your urinal, friend.
The Complaints Choir Chicago performs Nov. 3 at 1 and 3 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art and at 8 p.m. at the Empty Bottle Club. To participate, send your complaints to complaintschoir@yahoo.com and fill out a form on www.smogveilrecords.com by Oct. 15.
Medill senior Senka Hadzimuratovic is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at s-hadzimuratovic@northwestern.edu.