In an encompassing environment, Vanessa Sindihebura creates a shelter that fosters collective attention. A place where listening challenges, disturbs and outsmarts the gaze filled with the colonial imagination and fixed definitions of identities shaped during the 19th century.
Grounded in the strong oral tradition of the countries of eastern Africa, and without omitting the multiple truths that a migratory journey brings, Biheko immerses us in intimate discussions between the artist’s maternal figures, in resonance or dissonance, but always in dialogue, between past and present.
They revive the shunned generational memories and knowledge by bringing them together and to the limelight. Thus, a series of tales, stories and anecdotes are shaping identities as individual and collective objects. Like beacons, these maternal figures have guided the artist in formulating a language of resistance and resilience that they will share on stage.
Through the use of sounds collected in Burundi and Rwanda, organic electromagnetic waves and visual abstractions a memorial landscape is created. Along which, dance movements are transcribed into computer-generated images from an Afrofuturist perspective. Biheko attempts to create its own identity, the most accurate one, by defying systemic amnesia and starting from multiple realities.

Vanessa Sindihebura (They/Elle) is a multidisciplinary performer and self-taught producer based in Lausanne. Under a variety of acronyms, they explore artistic creativity through different medium, experimenting with music production, writing, movement and performative installation. Using these multiple tools, they create hybrid, emotional and heartfelt tableaux. They are also one of the founding members of B2B2B collective, as well as the coordinator of Blackbox Lausanne and co-booker for La Fête du Slip, Lausanne’s artistic festival of affects, genders and sexualities. After being a member of the B.Poderossa house, they joined the local house Dorsey-Swan in 2022.
Vanessa began their musical career with Syndrome WPW, a performative electro-punk band that toured Europe. In 2016, they founded the band Hyper_Hasbeen (later Ultra_Hasbeen) in response to the birth of hyper-artistry, an art movement from La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Since 2017, Vanessa has also been performing solo under their pseudonym Chienne De Garde. They have also been active on the German and German-speaking music scene, performing at the Rote Fabrik (Zurich), Frauen Raum (Bern) and Music Installations Nuremberg (Germany).
From 2017 to 2020, they were a member of Lausanne-based rock band The Queen’s Underwear. During that time, in 2018, they co-created the duo Le Festival de l’Amour with their sidekick Serge Teucher. Over the course of their career, they have collaborated with international artists of diverse sensibilities, including Tracy September, Siavash Nameshiri, Tina Reden, Tapiwa Svosve, Moor Mother, Chris Williams, Lester St.louis, Annick Rody, Anne Gillot, Alexandre Bellon and Christian Denisart.