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2015 » Poland » Performing Space
| Curator: | Wojtek Ziemilski |
| Authors of Theme: | Wojtek Ziemilski, Michał Libera |
| Institution: | Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute |
Voice-Over
People reading out loud, together, on the street.
Such a simple form of collective demonstration. Perhaps the purest way of expressing common will and the most basic strategy for claiming the space. Being together, acting together and wanting together – naivety to the extent of being suspicious, if not embarrassing. And rare.
It did happen, in Poznań. People stood together and they read. Nothing more. It was a public reading of the text of Rodrigo Garcia’s performance of Golgotha Picnic and a protest against censorship. But these readings were also a claiming of space, and a performative gesture of speaking-to-possess. At the same time, the taking over was executed as a theatrical performance with the use of the most ephemeral tool – voice.
The disturbance in the public sphere caused by an act so modest seems symptomatic. It reveals the background of the questionof who owns the public space. How does space become owned, even possessed and fixed with content? What are the strategies for spreading the message and reaching others? And who are these others? How efficient - performative, if you like – can people be with their voices? Can they achieve universality? Can voice strategies become universal?
Voice-over, a city tour and a live presentation will form a two-chapter performative tale on owning, possessing and appropriating space. Wojtek Ziemilski and Michał Libera's performance will use reenactment, impersonation and playback techniques and different forms of electrical and acoustical amplification to highlight the importance and ambiguity of the voice in claiming space. Playing with the idea of voice as the ultimate human property, a signature and a proof of reality, they will explore the agency of the speakers (in both meanings of the term). With reference to the neutrality and transparency of the air – voice's medium – we will deal with the politics and proxemics of open spaces.
, a city tour and a live presentation will form a two-chapter performative tale on owning, possessing and appropriating space. Wojtek Ziemilski and Michał Libera's performance will use reenactment, impersonation and playback techniques and different forms of electrical and acoustical amplification to highlight the importance and ambiguity of the voice in claiming space. Playing with the idea of voice as the ultimate human property, a signature and a proof of reality, they will explore the agency of the speakers (in both meanings of the term). With reference to the neutrality and transparency of the air – voice's medium – we will deal with the politics and proxemics of open spaces.The walk through the city will relate to owning and possessing and take as its stage one of the most crowded spots in Prague - the square in front of the Church of St. Salvador. Can we take any of the Golgotha Picnic Poznań voice strategies and use them in this particular environment? Once in the conference space, this question will become a more private and intimate one.
CURATORS: Wojtek Ziemilski, Michał Libera