Étant Donnés

Étant Donnés is a duet formed by Eric and Marc Hurtado and created in Grenoble in 1980. Born respectively in 1959 and 1962 in Rabat, Morocco, the two brothers have chosen both orality and writing, with a clear, semantic word, yet without the burden of grammar. Through them, it is the volume of each word that becomes an object-sculpture, together with the power of their bodies expressing their voices. Each event is the scream -indeed even the glissando- of the strength of the word that sometimes abruptly becomes a rock, a solid surface, not in the least fluvial, as is the narrative of a tale, novel or poetic epic.
Moreover listening to "Aurore", undoubtedly owing to the influence of the Mediterranean cradle, single umbilical cord of two great religions, the influence of both Latin and Arab worlds - Gaelic short and long sounds can sometimes be perceived - since their dictions are such a synthesis of several origins. With their oral and combinative strengths, Eric and Marc give us the action of theatre, from which dictions and descriptive declamations disappear. Their sound, for example, extensive, grave and apocalyptic, mixed from amplified natural elements, make those who listen dumbfounded. Their art is staggering in every respect, in the 16th century sense of the French word "sidérant", when it meant: influenced by the stars. They've been occasionnally working with Genesis P-Orridge, Alan Vega, Michael Gira, Mark Cunningham or Lydia Lunch.