Engram – En countdown mod døden

Engram – En countdown mod døden

”Man skal leve hver dag, som var det den sidste.” Sådan lyder et gammelt ordsprog, hvilket for mig synes at være mantraet i audiowalken Engram af den svenske teatergruppe Osynliga Teatern.

I Engram stilles lytteren overfor spørgsmålet: Hvad ville du savne mest ved livet, hvis du kun havde 640 åndedrag tilbage? – Et spørgsmål som i bund og grund er helt umuligt at svare på men bestemt værd at reflektere over.

I kapløb med tiden

Udstyret med høretelefoner træder jeg ind i Vor Frue Kirke. Jeg bliver bedt om at trække vejret dybt og får så at vide, at jeg nu kun har 639 åndedrag tilbage – puha jeg bliver allerede helt forpustet ved tanken og føler mig lidt i kapløb med tiden. Med en rolig klavermelodi i mine ører finder jeg mig selv i færd med at kigge rundt i kirkerummet – en smule febrilsk, da en stemme har opfordret mig til at se kirken, som var det den sidste gang. Hvad ville jeg huske? Alteret? Englene? Bænkene? Mit blik fæstner sig på de fire nonner, som stille og roligt nærmest svæver op ad kirkegulvet – dem vil jeg huske.

Du er ikke alene

Udenfor er jeg vidne til, hvordan nogle af de andre publikummer lægger en hånd på hinandens skuldre, hvorfor ord som: trøst, støtte og næstekærlighed flyver igennem mit hoved og minder mig om, hvor flygtigt livet er. Senere på vandringen mærker jeg selv, hvordan en andens hånd bliver lagt på min skulder, som en påmindelse om at vi ikke er alene hverken nu eller i resten af livet. Nu har jeg kun 290 åndedrag tilbage, lyder meldingen i min øresnegl.

Levende historier fra de døde

I Engram fortælles historier af de døde til de levende. Undervejs på turen dukker stemmen af en dødssyg mand op i mine øre: ”I thought about writing you a letter, but then I thought, I would rather be a voice than words on a piece of paper” – her mister jeg flere åndedræt i træk. Han fortæller sin historie om sin sidste tid. Hvordan han pakker sine ting for at tage på hospice. Hvor træt han er: “I didn’t know you could be that tired!” – endnu et par åndedræt undslipper mig. Jeg kigger op og lægger mærke til, hvor langt der egentlig er op til himlen.

Nedtælling til stilhed

Vi går nu tættere sammen og bliver bedt om at skynde os igennem en korridor, da vi kun har 20 åndedrag tilbage. For enden af korridoren samles vi omkring et lille springvand på en åben plads. Folk omkring gør plads til, at vi kan sidde på bænken. Her er alle velkomne, og alle oplever dette sammen her og nu. Verden rundt om lukkes ude, så jeg slet ikke giver plads til bevidstheden om min ellers udsædvanlige og grænseoverskridende optræden i byens rum. Stående i rundkreds rundt om vandet, der sprudler af liv og energi, og kun med 6 åndedrag tilbage, hører vi, hvordan mandens og hans pårørendes hænder mødes. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out… stilhed.

Glad for at være i live og med rygsækken fuld af minder fra og refleksioner over mit eget liv, tager jeg hovedtelefonerne af og kan på tilbagevejen ikke lade være med at lytte til og se ekstra meget på mine omgivelser.

Teater på afstand, tæt på og med højt til loftet

Kostfejende mærkelig figur i et vindblæst hjørne på Refshaleøen. Foto: Maja Nydal Eriksen

Selvom udgangspunktet ”vandreforestilling på Refshaleøens ukendte steder” er ens for de to forestillinger 12 og Phoenix, er teateroplevelsen utrolig forskellig og med til at vise, hvor vidt teatermediet kan strække sig.

Gennem en lang og smuk vandring i store åbne industrielle områder med performere, der pludselig dukker op og laver kunster, byder 12 på det, jeg vil kalde for, ”teater på afstand”. Hvorimod Phoenix tager dig med på en personlig og sanselig vandring, der rent praktisk blot går rundt i en ring, men oplevelsesmæssigt tager dig med på en lang rejse ind i og ud af dig selv – det er ”teater tæt på”.

Teater er indre og ydre billeder

Med vinden i ryggen og aftensolen i øjnene begiver jeg mig ud for enden af dokken. Mit blik fæstner sig på en kvindekrop på den anden side af havnebassinet, der hænger slapt ud af et dæk fastspændt på siden af skibskajen. Jeg er i tvivl, om det er en voksdukke eller et levende menneske. Hendes lange hår flyder frem og tilbage i vandet i takt med bølgernes skvulpen. Dette på en gang skrøbelige og stærke billede fra ”Tørdok 1”, én af 12’s tre ruter, indprenter sig straks på min nethinde sammen med et hav af andre pop-up-billeder, så det tilsammen danner en collage – et begreb koreograf Kitt Johnson selv anvender til at genrebetegne forestillingen.

I Phoenix oplevede jeg mere, at de indre billeder var på spil både med hjælp fra en rolig stemme i høretelefonerne og i samspil med den smukke lyrik og omgivelserne. Men også uden headset i de intime møder med performerne: Mørket omslutter mig i det kolde betonrum, hvor kun lyden af en kvindes tunge vejrtrækken og min egen hjertebanken fylder rummet. Mine øjne og mit sind er meget lang tid om at vænne sig til mørket, som dermed tvinger de indre billeder frem: Rummet er fyldt med mennesker eller fugle!? Er der vand på gulvet eller et stort hul ned til afgrunden foran mig? Filmrullen løber ud, i det øjeblik et par hænder møder mine hænder, og vores vejrtrækninger synkroniseres.

Mærke sig selv blive stor og lille

Den fysiske berøring i Phoenix er også en forskel fra 12, hvor jeg på intet tidspunkt var i fysik kontakt med performerne. Tværtimod legedes der her med det dybe perspektiv, som den klassiske teaterbygning automatisk sætter en stopper for, så performerne oftest befandt sig ude i horisonten – igen ”teater på afstand”. I Phoenix var den nære kropskontakt og det, at man var på en individuel vandring, en medskabende faktor til, at jeg i høj grad oplevede, hvordan forestillingen kom til at handle om mig selv og min krop. I 12 mærkede jeg derimod den befriende følelse af at være et lille væsen i en stor verden. Alle mine bekymringer føltes for en stund ligegyldige i dette åbne ingenmandsland, i teatret med højt til loftet.

I Phoenix kunne man ikke lave denne tilbagetrækning fra sin bevidsthed. Tværtimod var det teater så tæt på, at det fik mig til at indse vigtigheden af, at vi nogle gange tillader os at sænke tempoet, kigge ind i os selv og samtidig betragte os selv udefra. Alt sammen for at mærke hvordan vores krop er en yderst afgørende brik i det store verdenspuslespil.

Fri leg i virkelighedens kulisser

I eftertanken til begge teateroplevelser står begrebet ”fri leg” tydelig for mig. I 12 leger performerne på Refshaleøens rå og enorme legeplads, og i Phoenix får du fra start at vide: ”Whatever happens is how it should happen.”, hvilket spiller godt sammen med den stedsspecifikke genre – for når virkeligheden er kulisserne, bliver selv den stærkeste vind på Refshaleøen en fantastisk med- og modspiller.

Day 8: Ceci n’est pas notre peur*

Yet another interesting day at “Ceci n’est pas” – the art installation at Gammel Torv by the Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven. Still more people come to visit or revisit the art installation with a friend. Today’s topic makes many people check the bulletproof glass of the box.

The day begins with an apology from a man. He visited the box yesterday and he was jumping up and down knocking really hard on the window where the woman was siting with her drinks. He was trying to get the attention from the audience for some reason by saying he was the artist behind it, and that they should look at him instead. Today he will try to be calmer, he says.

When the shutters go up a man is sitting on a carpet with at string of beads in his hand. A loudspeaker is hanging down from the ceiling. As he counts the beads he is saying something that the audience cannot hear. Only the sound from each bead can be heard on the metallic floor. He looks concentrated. He has taken off his shoes and wears a blue tunic and a black vest. “Why is he wearing a bulletproof vest? Or “is it an explosive belt?”. These are some of the questions that kick-starts today’s discussions. A Danish young couple are looking at the man praying in the box. As they read the text one of them explain that it is about our imaginary fear. People are approaching the box with a serious look on their faces.

An elderly Danish couple pass the glass box without stopping: “Come on!”, the woman says to her husband. Two Danish men act the similar way: “Hallo, keep walking!”, one of them is saying to the other. A Danish group of two elderly women and a man are also in a hurry. When one of the women stops to take closer look at the installation, the other woman comes to take her with her. They leave. Two elderly Danish ladies go: ”Is it Jesus counting something?” They come a bit closer, but the other lady say:”Come on!”. They leave. Some Danish families have arrived at Gammel Torv. A mother explains to her child that it is Muslim praying to his god Allah. Like they pray to God. A father tells his daughter that this picture means that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Many Danish Muslims and tourist stop to take a closer look and to discuss what they see.
A group of Muslim young women express how they perceive this picture: “I see a man praying and I understand the message as you should not be afraid of this religion. Everyone should be accepted.” A lady arrives and asks them about where the girls are from. They change into another language, Arabic perhaps, as they discuss and point at the installation and the man inside. The sound of the muezzin’s call streams out of the box and is heard from a distance. This is not a sound that normally you hear in Denmark. This attracts more people, for instance a mother wearing a veil and her child. They stand in the crowd as the man turns his head and looks strait into her eyes with a calm and mild look. They keep eye contact for a while and the mother starts to weep. The man in the box gets up, opens his hands and cross them at his stomach. He falls down to his knees and put his forehead to the floor. He repeats it several times.

A group of young men arrive and discuss, why he is wearing a vest. In the beginning in Danish then in Arabic, possibly. They walk away and look at the crowd from a distance, but after a while they return to see the next round (the shutter go up and down once in a while). In front of the box they start talking to a Danish young couple: “What is it about?”. The couple has been visiting the installation several days: ”It is about showing the thing that we are unfamiliar with. Or things that we fear.” A group of Danish Muslims girls arrives. They discuss whether they like the installation or not. One of them is pointing out several things that don’t match a real prayer, according to her. And it is not right to expose religion in this way, especially not when he is wearing the vest. It gives associations to terrorism. A Danish Muslim man returns after a quick view and a statement “nonsense”. This time he walks in in front of the audience and speaks out loud: ”He is not a real Muslim – he doesn’t looks towards Mecca. He is nasty!” He leaves while as the rest stays. Two Danish men originally from Syria find the installation quite interesting and they think it is a good way to show that there is nothing to fear.

When the shutters go up for the last time this evening the man inside the box is lying still on his carpet. The muezzin is heard again. More people come to see what is going on. Some young men check out bulletproof glass of the box. They have a serious look in their faces when the shutters go down.

_________________

Ceci n’est pas notre peur*
Fear is a defence mechanism. When there are worrying signs, the amygdala regulates the secretion of stress hormones. In this way, the body prepares itself to fight or to flee. The focus shifts to the threat, and superfluous details are no longer perceived. When the threatening situation appears too great, humans retreat to familiar ground.

Since 2001, the need for a familiar structure has led to an increase in orthodox believers as well as fear of foreign religions.

* This is not our fear

Ceci n’est pas notre peur*
Frygt er en forsvarsmekanisme. Når der er situationer, der bekymrer os, reg- ulerer amygdala udskillelsen af stresshormoner. Således forbereder kroppen sig på at kæmpe eller flygte. Fokus skifter til truslen, og overflødige detaljer opfanges ikke længere. Når den truende situation fremstår uoverkommelig, søger mennesket mod det velkendte.

Siden 2001 har behovet for velkendte strukturer medført en stigning i antal- let af ortodokse troende så vel som øget frygt for fremmede religioner.

* Dette er ikke vores frygt

READ MORE about the Metropolis Festival and the artist Dries Verhoeven’s concept of “Ceci n’est pas” in this background article or on Københavns Internationale Teaters webpage.  Also check out the newspaper articles in Berlingske and Politiken

Day 7: Ceci n’est pas notre désir*

Today the display box has been in Copenhagen at Gammel Torv for a week. It means that some people have returned during the week to see what topic or taboo is taken up today.
Also a lot of new people visit or bump into the installation “Ceci n’est pas” by the Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven. A couple of English speaking young women go: “I pass by this every day and still I don’t get it.” They don’t stop to figure out. Other people who stay a little longer show the wish to discuss with each other today.

When the shutters go up a woman dressed in a fur with red high-heeled shoes and black shiny tights is appearing. She sits at a stool at a bar table full of drinks. She looks around and rocks a little to the party music, which is pumping out of the box. A pretty normal sight, if you go out in the Copenhagen nightlife. What is remarkable is her height. She is very little and her legs are very short. She lights a cigarette and looks around at the audience with a flirtatious look.

“Why should this be an attraction?”
“Hope she gets money for it.”
“This is odd. This is really bad art!”

Today’s topic about physical handicap and sexual ideals shown in this way shocks and provokes the audience. “Is it real person?” This is by the way a frequently asked question everyday. Maybe because we are not use to see a person exhibited in a glass box in a public space… anymore. It is something that belongs to the past. Three elderly ladies walk by the box: “This is like in the past, where people were exhibited – I don’t like it.” They choose not to stay for so long. Other people among the audience stay a little bit longer. Some people think that the glass chair makes an optical illusion and that her legs are hidden underneath. Especially many Danish youngsters appear to be unfamiliar with the sight of a little person. It seems like they find it hard to talk about it in a proper manner and they leave quite quickly.

A part of grown-up crowd takes their time to discuss and hear the different point of views, for instance two young women and an elderly old lady. The lady thinks it is grotesque to display the woman in this way. The two women express that they think it is an interesting way to draw attention to the topic. Their discussion is a proof of that, one of them says. It makes them think about whether it is right to choose not to have a baby with a physical handicap. The elderly lady is together with her friends. One of them remembers that for a long time ago she experienced an exhibition in Hamburg that exhibited little people from a circus, which gave her a bad association. Many people take their time to explain the context of today’s displayed woman. “Little people should also be able to enjoy life and go to a bar and so on. “ and “It is for the purpose of focus on the challenges of sexuality and having a physical handicap.”. “..It is about tolerance”, a man comic costume says. He has visited the installation several times either on his way to or home from a street performance in Strøget supposedly.

Another man is expressing that he doesn’t like what he is seeing and he is ready to leave the square. After a discussion with a person, who problematizes his point of view, he chooses to go the box to read the text. Afterwards he changes his mind a bit and sees that the intention might not be to expose the woman inside the box against her will. Some people in the audience suggest that woman is an exhibitionist and that she is doing the show to attract attention. Other people say that this might be what she is doing for a living. There is quite some tension among the audience today. I seems like some people get offended by others taking pictures of the woman. This results in audience taking pictures of other people in the audience to document it. Some tourists choose openly to pose in front of the box for a Kodac moment or to wave and jump in front of the box.

Today people some Danish people express that think the woman in the box is brave to sit in there with a whole crowd around her. “Brave”, “Fresh”,“She is so fine”. They smile to her. A group of Americans also seem to find the topic interesting after a longer discussion: “The more we talk about it, the more I start appreciating this contemporary art”.

When shutters go up for the last time today the woman is lying still at her stool.

______________

 Ceci n’est pas notre désir*

A physical handicap often has a negative effect on sexual attraction. This is in part determined culturally. Socially accepted ideal images nestle themselves in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls sexual attraction.

It also has biological roots. Every human being unconsciously seeks to improve his species through reproduction, the so-called natural selection. He or she will search for the partner that appears most suitable for the creation of healthy and successful children.

Screening for a possible genetic defect in a foetus has become part of standard prenatal screening programmes. The number of women who decide to interrupt their pregnancy due to an unwanted diagnosis has increased over the last decade.

*This is not our desire

 

Ceci n’est pas notre désir*

Et fysisk handikap har oftest negativ indflydelse på seksuel tiltrækningskraft. Dette skyldes til dels vores kultur. Socialt accepterede idealbilleder lagres i hypothalamus, den del af hjernen, der kontrollerer seksuel tiltrækning.

Det har ligeledes biologiske rødder. Ethvert menneske søger ubevidst at forbedre arten gennem reproduktion, den såkaldte naturlige selektion. Han eller hun søger efter den partner, som forekommer bedst egnet til at skabe sunde og succesfulde børn.

Det er blevet en del af det almindelige scanningsprogram for gravide at scanne for mulige genfejl i fostret. Antallet af kvinder, som vælger at afbryde deres graviditet på grund af en uønsket diagnose, er øget gennem de seneste ti år.

* Dette er ikke vores begær

READ MORE about the Metropolis Festival and the artist Dries Verhoeven’s concept of “Ceci n’est pas” in this background article or on Københavns Internationale Teaters webpage.  Also check out the newspaper articles in Berlingske and Politiken

Metropolis i børnehøjde: Det er sjovere at lege end at tale om det

Når vi taler om kreativitet i vores voksenliv, er der ofte en længsel efter at udfolde vores indre legebarn – især i forbindelse med at slippe ens kreativitet løs og genfinde nydelsen og legen midt i hverdag og pres. Legen er netop en af de opfordringer, der ligger bag flere af projekterne på Metropolis Festival for kunst i byens rum.

 

Ekspert i leg

Jeg har allieret mig med en ekspert i leg – min 5-årige søn, Karl. Han har fået lyden og fornemmelse af Metropolis helt tæt på fra begyndelsen. Han lå nemlig i min hastigt struttende mave, da jeg arbejdede på Metropolis 2009. Han har siden hen været med til festivalen, når det gav mening. Og elsker i øvrigt Lego Chima, Pokémon, Netflix og at spille fodbold. Han spørger også som det første, da jeg henter ham i skolen: “Skal vi spille fodbold, når vi kommer hjem?” Men det er også ok, at vi skal ind i et tapelandskab og en snorejungle.

 

Metropolis i børnehøjde

Hvordan oplever en 5-årig, eller rettere en om-3-måneder-6-årig to af Metropolis’ projekter, der inviterer til leg? Fremgangsmåden er enkel – min søn og jeg begiver os sammen ind i Tape Copenhagens Numen/For Use-landskab og Karoline H. Larsens Snorejungle og derefter stiller jeg spørgsmål til oplevelsen. Jeg har spurgt ham, om han vil være med til at lave dette indlæg sammen – og det gider han godt, bare der ikke er for mange spørgsmål. Det lover jeg. Han har selv været billedredaktør og godkendt dem, han syntes var seje. Det er i praksis dem, hvor han rækker tunge og laver sjove ansigter.

“numi numi…”

“lidt som en larve i en pubbe” tænker moren

Holder det? Tapen?

Vi begiver os ind i tapelandskabet sammen. Vi er begge to lidt tøvende – holder det? Karl kaster sig nu hurtigt ud i det og bliver vist lidt mere modig af at spørge, om jeg er bange. Jeg er ikke så vild med, når tapen siger den samme lyd, som når man prikker bobleplast ud. Det griner vi af. Jeg forestiller mig, at det må gøre herrenass, hvis vi falder igennem ned på det tidligere kirkegulv. Men så overgiver jeg mig også. Og vi taler om hvad vi kan se gennem tapen og hvem, der kunne bo et sådant sted.

 

“Jeg tror, det må være noget meget stærkt tape”

Karl og jeg bevæger os igennem tape-tuben og kigger ud af hullerne. Karl siger: ”Jeg tror det må være noget meget stærkt tape” og tænker helt sikkert på alle de tapekonstruktioner, han selv har lavet af små scotch-tape stykker rundt omkring i lejligheden derhjemme. Det gør indtryk, at det er 300 ruller tape. Og da vi ser en stor taperulle ved indgangen, sender han den også et anerkendende blik.

“subi dubi”

det her billede er med, fordi Karl synes babyen, der stikker hovedet op af hullet er så “nuttet”.

“prøv at tænk hvis vi gik oven på – det ville være sejt…”

 

“det er jo tape, der er sat op – faktisk 300 ruller”

På vej på cyklen mod Snorejunglen spørger jeg nok lidt ledende: “Er det ikke lige som Spiderman?” “Nej, det er jo tape, det er sat op – faktisk 300 ruller”, konkretiserer han. Efter ispause når vi frem til Snorejunglen. Da Karl ser alle snorene udbryder han: ”Den her er sejere end den med tapen, for det er meget sværere at lave knuder end det er at sætte tape op.”

Han kaster sig ind i snorene og vi gynger og holder balancen, mens fransktalende børn bliver hentet fra Prins Henriks skole lige ved siden af. Langsomt skifter gæsterne alder – de mange børn bliver til unge og voksne.

snorejungle med skoletaske – på Skt. Thomas Plads, Frederiksberg

snore

 

det går rigtigt hurtigt

sammen

det her billede er med, fordi Karl synes, det er sejt, at hans mor slog hul på knæet, da hun faldt ned fra en af snorene.

 

Det er sjovere at lege end at tale om det

Da vi kommer hjem fortæller Karl: ”Jeg synes, det var rigtigt sjovt at gynge i snorene. Jeg legede også, at jeg hang fast i snorene. Det var fordi, jeg ikke gad hjem. Tapen var sejest, fordi man kunne kravle på tape som Spiderman. Og fordi tape jo ikke er så stærk, men så kunne man alligevel gå på det. Jeg ville gerne have været i tapen i endnu længere tid”. Og så gider han ikke svare på flere spørgsmål. Han vil hellere lege lidt, inden han skal i seng. Og det er vel i virkeligheden sådan, det er – at det er sjovere at lege end at tale om det.

Tape Copenhagen – indtil den 23. august, hver dag kl. 10-22 – se mere

Snorejunglen – indtil den 30. august, hverdage kl. 13-18, weekend kl. 10-18 – se mere

Kort samtale med Kitt Johnson og Annette Skov – “12”

“12” er iscenesat af Kitt Johnson og Annette Skov – et team, som flere kender fra byrumsfestivalen Mellemrum. Foto: Maja Nydal Eriksen

 

To dage før premieren på vandringsforestillingen ”12”, der spiller indtil den 23. august, møder jeg makkerparret koreograf Kitt Johnson og ordekvilibrist Annette Skov på Refshaleøen. Deres samarbejde er vokset frem i forbindelse med byrumsfestivalen MELLEMRUM, der begyndte i 2008. Annette Skov kom ind i billedet på et tidspunkt, hvor Kitt Johnson allerede havde kurateret kunstnerne og stederne. Men så udviklede det sig derfra et helt andet sted hen. ”Det bliver efterhånden sådan en mere og mere helstøbt eller ønsket om at lave en mere helstøbt performancevandring. Så i det øjeblik man går i gang, så er man først færdig, når man er færdig,” beskriver Annette Skov.

 

Vi mødes på Refshaleøen i en pause og et solstrejf
Vi mødes på Refshaleøen i en pause og et solstrejf. Anette Skov beskriver ”12” som et naturligt viderearbejde af Mellemrum. Mellemrum er en måde eller mange måder at gå til specifikke steder på, hvor ”12” i virkeligheden bringer det et andet sted hen”

 

”12” – en bæredygtig proces
”12” er en slags bæredygtig proces, hvor de tager udgangspunkt i ”Okay, hvad har vi at gøre godt med? Vi tager det vi har og så bruger vi det.” Kitt Johnson griber tråden: ”ja vi tager udgangspunkt i det, vi har. Noget har forandret sig rigtigt meget (fra den første workshop sidste august). Noget eksisterer slet ikke mere. Og noget er egentligt meget tæt på det, vi fandt dengang, som vi synes virkede herude – som tilførte og opdagede noget af det, som vi synes er magisk herude.”

Kostfejende mærkelig figur i et vindblæst hjørne på Refshaleøen. Foto: Maja Nydal Eriksen

Annette Skov fortsætter: ”Jeg kan faktisk meget godt lide, at du bruger ordet ”bæredygtig”, for det her område er jo lige nu udsat for mange forskellige eksperimenter. Hvor projektet ”12” er en af dem. Det der adskiller sig fra de andre er, at en flok mennesker over en lang periode fordyber sig i nogle små udvalgte steder. De arbejder på nogle spots, som de i den grad har lært at kende. Det er en ret anderledes måde. De fleste tænker en kæmpestor tom ø. Vi kommer lige og lægger vores lydanlæg oven på. Så tisser vi og råber lidt og så går vi ind i hinanden og smadrer nogle flasker og så er de væk igen. Det er en bydel, der bliver voldtaget lidt af det ene og det andet – og fred være med det.

 

Hvad er det, man har at komme med

Men projektet ”12” gør bare noget andet. Det undersøger, hvad det reelt er for et sted. Inden man begynder at tilføre noget, så skal man finde ud af hvad det i virkeligheden indeholder og finde ud af, hvor man har noget at komme med. Performerne har lært stedet at kende inden de begyndte at lægge noget ind i det. Det er i virkeligheden mere tyst end det er larm. Det her undersøger, hvad det et for et sted, så inden man begynder at tilføre noget, så skal man jo i virkeligheden finde ud af, hvad det er og hvad det er man har at komme med.”

Kitt fortsætter. Man kan mærke, at de to kvinder er i synk: ”og der er rigtigt meget arbejde med materialer – en undersøgelse af stoflighed og undersøgelse af historie. Performerne bruger forskellige teknikker. Nogen har været mere optagede af historiske facts. Andre har været mere optagede af, på et sensorisk niveau, hvordan forskellige materialer påvirker kroppen og kan eksistere i den. Der er meget klare spor af historierne i nogle performances, i andre er der kun enkelte spor tilbage. Og i andre er det historiske helt væk.”

Anette fører tråden videre: ”på den måde afspejler det nok den måde, som folk går til det her område på – at nogen opsøger specifikt historien – hey der er et årstal, der er noget faktuelt jeg kan gå efter. Der er nogle metalspor, hvor andre bare synes at himlen er helt fantastisk og vidderne er utrolige. Det hele er her jo på en gang.”

På den gamle B&W grund, hvor der tidligere blev bygget skibe. Foto: Maja Nydal Eriksen

Drivkraften bag projektet “12”

Det er altid interessant hvad der er motoren i et projekt og driver det fremad. Jeg spørger både Kitt Johnson og Annette Skov, hvad de brænder for i projektet ”12”?
Kitt Johnson lægger klart ud: ”for mig er drivkraften at hjælpe de her unge spillere til at opdage nogle nye ting, folde deres talenter ud, stille forhåbentligt de rigtige spørgsmål, de rigtige opgaver og møde dem, der hvor de er. Det er jo ikke mit projekt. Det er ikke mit tema, min store kunstneriske forløsning. Det handler for mig om at facilitere de unge mennesker, de unge talenter, som vi arbejder med. Og så selvfølgelig, forhåbentligt at lave noget, der er seværdigt for publikum. Men allermest spændende er, hvordan jeg møder dem hver især dem på den rigtige måde.”
Annette fortsætter: ”Og det har virkelig også foldet sig ud i alle mulige retninger. På den måde er det jo også et laboratorium. For mig er det jo meget både den visuelle del og se de her steder få tilført bare bittesmå ting rundt omkring og så pludselig folde sig ud på en helt ny måde. Jeg kender dem så godt og nu er de faktisk foldet ganske anderledes ud.” Anette har haft værksted på området i mange år: “Jeg er meget forbundet med den her ø. Og historien og har undersøgt meget hvad de respektive områder har været brugt til. Og jeg er kommet her i mange år og har talt med B&W arbejderne og i virkeligheden taget fat på det, som vi nu arbejder med. Nemlig fortsætte med at afdække stedernes konkrete historier.”

 

Hvornår: indtil den 23. august kl. 19.00 – se mere

Se også min oplevelse af forestillingen 

Kuriosa: Mellemrum findes fremover i en mobil festival-model – Mellemrum Encounter. Første gang bliver i Norge næste år.

Day 6 : Ceci n’est pas la nature*

Today Strøget is busy again after a calm Sunday. Or hanged over Sunday maybe. Copenhagen was celebrating the pride parade Saturday and the city was covered in rainbow colours. It is the first day in the week and the square is filled with people going to work and tourist visiting.When the box opens a woman is sitting in a swing and swings from one side to another smiling gently. A sound of the wind flows out of the box. She has beautiful orange feathers on her back she is wearing a tricot.. but wait a second. When looking a bit closer it might be a man.

“Is it a man or a woman?”

A group of Danish teenage boys and girls ask each other as they approach the box. This is the immediate question almost everyone in the audience ask themselves or the person next to them. A Danish family arrives: ”Oh, I must be a commercial for the parade, don’t’ you think so?”. Three elderly Danish ladies are looking with much interest and discussing whether it is a man or woman:

“Well, it must be a man.”
“Are you sure about that? He has breasts”
“Then half man from the waist and down and half woman from the waist and up.”
“Yeah, there has been a lot of that in the weekend”, referring to the pride.

They don’t seem shoked or provoked. They leave the square and continue their stroll. Other groups of primarily tourist seem more provoked by the topic of the day. You can see the confusion in the eyes of the audience, when they arrive. The smile a bit and others starts to laugh while their eyes search up and down to figure out if it is a man or a woman. Three Danish teenagers also feel a little uncomfortable too: “Oh it is a bit nasty and scary”. One of them goes to find out. The floor is made of mirrors, so that you can search every angle of the performer’s body. In his search for answers the performer looks him directly into his eyes and flirts with him. It makes him a bit embarrassed and he goes back to his friends. This situation is quite similar to the other days. The eye contact makes the audience uncomfortable. The living artwork is looking right back at audience and asking them what is on their minds that very moment. The shutters go down for a short while and when it opens again the sound is different. It sounds like we are at a football match. The performer crosses the legs and begins to roll a cigarette. The person suddenly looks more masculine.

For some people they find an answer to their questions written in the text on the side of the box. “I see, it is a transgender person”. It seems to be a sufficient answer for many of the Danish audience. A female tourist who has been looking at the installation for time also finds some kind of answer, when she reads the text. She smiles, does the thumbs up and says “You do you”. She is not the only one doing the thumbs up today. A few people take selfies with the box and the performer in the background, supposedly out of curiosity or identification. Also families with small kids are here today, like a grandfather with his grandchild. The little grandchild asks what it is about. The grandfather smiles and goes: ”Well… it is a bit difficult, but I will try to explain it to you”.

When the shutters go up for the last time today the performer is lying still at the floor. The feathers are covering the back and the face is almost hidden behind the long hair. The torso is still visible and it attracts new audience with curious eyes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Ceci n’est pas la nature*

Western civilization reasons according to the division man/woman. As stated by Freud, the first thing we take note of in every new encounter is whether we are dealing with a man or a woman. When the recognition is not automatic, this leads to insecurity, annoyance or happy excitement.

In Denmark, transgenderism is still considered a diagnosis. The approval for a sex change operation involves a process of minimum two years. Since 2014, Danes have been able to change their gender legally by acquiring a new social security number. Female social security numbers are even. Male numbers are odd. There are no other possibilities.

It is not easy for transgender people to acquire jobs, unless they work in the entertainment industry.

* This is not nature

Ceci n’est pas la nature
Den vestlige civilisation ræsonnerer med udgangspunkt i opdelingen mand/ kvinde. Som Freud påpegede, er det første, vi lægger mærke til ved hvert nyt møde, hvorvidt vi har at gøre med en mand eller en kvinde. Når genkendelsen ikke foregår automatisk, fører det til usikkerhed, irritation eller glædelig spænding.

I Danmark er det at være transkønnet fortsat en diagnose. For at blive godkendt til en kønsskifteoperation skal man gennem en minimum toårig proces. Siden 2014 har det været muligt at ændre sit køn juridisk ved at søge om et nyt CPR-nummer. Kvinders CPR-numre ender på lige tal. Mænds ender på ulige. Der findes ingen alternativer.

Det er ikke let for transkønnede at få job, med mindre de arbejder i underholdningsindustrien.

* Dette er ikke naturen

READ MORE about the Metropolis Festival and the artist Dries Verhoeven’s concept of “Ceci n’est pas” in this background article or on Københavns Internationale Teaters webpage.  Also check out the newspaper articles in Berlingske and Politiken

Day 5: Ceci n’est pas de l’histoire*

Today it is Sunday and Strøget is bit more calm because most shops are closed. Still many tourist and some Copenhageners go there to take a stroll or grab a coffee. This is a perfect day to relax in the sun and to be entertained. Perfect, the show will start in 15 minutes. This is what is written on a small blackboard on the floor of the glass box today, as the shutters go up. Behind the blackboard is a black man sitting with chains on one of his feet. He wears nothing but a small white cloth around his lower waist. Next to him is a basket filled with peanuts. Some of them are spread on the floor. He looks exhausted while he sits in the corner with his back against the wall eating a few nuts once in a while. One person in the audience is asking one of the others, what this is about. Both of them have been visiting the art installation one of the previous days.

“It is about showing the pictures of things we don’t want to see in the Danish society. Things, that we try to hide or forget.”

“Ah, now I understand all of it much better.”

Today many people are explaining the context to each other thoroughly. A mother is explaining to her little son that they are watching a kind of living art about the fact that Denmark once had slaves. She explains what a slave is. Another Danish family is
staying there for quite some time reading and watching. When the man inside the box looks back at them and keeps looking at them, the mother goes:” I get the shivers, when he looks at me. I feel guilty.” The father replies: “Yeah, it is really a cruel part of our history that we don’t really speak of.” Three young Danish guys are happy to be confronted with this topic: ”It is cool that it is in your face.” Several of the Danish audience talk about the movies “Guldkysten” and “12 Years a Slave”. The last one is portraying the American slave history, which for some Danish people might be more known to them: “I didn’t know Denmark was a part of the slave trade. It is nothing to brag about. You don’t want to see it. When I went to school a long time ago I didn’t learn about that. I thought it was the in the U.S. Well it is good this box is here, so that you can’t miss it.” Some young schoolboys discuss the topic of the installation and refer to their school topic on the former Danish West Indies. A diplomat from Burkino Faso shows interest in the art project. He thinks this art installation is a good idea to create awareness in this time of an increasing nationalist sentiment.

Some people are waiting for the performance to start. A few people in the audience are checking out every inch of the box and the man. One is waving trying to get in contact and she gets an immediate reaction. The man inside box leans forward and looks her strait into the eyes, and something that sounds like a lion roar scares the lady a bit. It did not seem to come directly from the man but every one reacted on the sound and steps a bit back. Now the man in the box is changing the little blackboards saying that the show is starting in 10 and then 5 minutes. Two ladies from a guided tourist group see the box as they walk: “Come on let’s go, we don’t want to see this”, which is similar to the reaction of two English speaking ladies: “ It reminds me of… I don’t like it “. While some even dare to say what they think, a few Danish people during the day go:” He looks like a monkey.”

The man in the box starts his performance as he stands up and stretches his body. The roar is heard again. He begins to do some extreme acrobatic poses like a contortionist. Many people in the audience grabs their smart phone to record a movie or get at picture. The song “Elefantens vuggevise” (The Elephant’s Lullaby, 1948) is played in the background. It is a popular lullaby, but in the newer versions one line in the song is changed into a more politically correct phrasing. During the day no one is commenting on the song, supposedly because they know it or they are focused on the acrobatic show. One time the audience claps as the shutters go down.

When the shutters go up for the last time today the man is lying still on the floor. A small group of Danish young boys and girls arrives. One of them is noticing the song and hums a little bit but stops again: “Do you know what they sing in this song!? My grandmother told me once. There! They just said it, did you hear it?!”

Three people from Gambia arrive just before closing time and see the man lying in the box. It sounds like they are in a good mood, but a bit surprised by the sight: ”Oh my god!” The man goes to read the text of the day on the side of the box. He reads out loud and turns around to some of other people in the audience: “This was what the white man did to us back then. But it was back then”, he smiles to them. The shutters go down.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ceci n’est pas de l’histoire*

During colonial times, Danish sailors transported 100.000 Africans to the Danish West Indies where they were sold to plantation farmers as their property. Most of these Africans died before arriving because of inadequate conditions on board. In 1848, Denmark abolished slavery. The slaves’ release caused a financial loss for the plantation owners. To compensate for this loss, the Danish government paid fifty dollars for every slave the farmers had owned. An official apology to the Africans or their descendants has not been seen as necessary.

The period of colonialism is generally not present in the Danish understanding of national history. This notion is overshadowed by feelings of discomfort about the influence the Danish state had and still has in other places.

*This is not history

Ceci n’est pas de l’histoire*

I kolonitiden transporterede danske sejlskibe 100.000 afrikanere til de Dansk-Vestindiske Øer, hvor de blev solgt til plantageejerne. Flertallet af disse afrikanere døde før ankomsten på grund af utilstrækkelige forhold ombord. I 1848 forbød den danske stat slaveri. Slavernes frisættelse forårsagede et økonomisk tab for plantageejerne. For at kompensere for dette tab betalte den danske regering 50 dollars for hver slave, de havde ejet. Man har ikke anset det for nødvendigt at give en officiel undskyldning til afrikanerne eller deres efterkommere.

Kolonitiden er generelt ikke en del af danskernes forståelse af den nationale historie. Denne del af historien overskygges af ubehag ved den indflydelse, som den danske stat har haft og stadig har i andre områder.

* Dette er ikke historien

READ MORE about the Metropolis Festival and the artist Dries Verhoeven’s concept of “Ceci n’est pas” in this background article or on Københavns Internationale Teaters webpage.  Also check out the newspaper articles in Berlingske and Politiken

Day 4: Ceci n’est pas le futur

Photo: Maja Nydal Eriksen

Ceci n’est pas le futur

At 12.00 the shutters open on day 4 in the glass box. “Uuh”. A woman jumps back as she makes a squeaky sound. She looks up and sees a young boy – or girl, some people seem to think – sitting on top of a pile of bullet cases. He picks them up one after one and starts to polish them. They are empty. So is the gun he picks up and starts to clean. It is obvious that the boy is very young even if a balaclava covers his face, except for the eyes and the mouth.

“Look”, the woman grabs the sleeve of a man in her company. “Haha, did someone put in a coin to make the shutters go up”, he jokes. The other man joins in. “What if we put in another coin? Do you think we’ll make the whole thing explode?”

A crowd quickly gathers around the glass cabinet. They read the sign carefully, look up at the boy, then they read again. It’s a rather silent crowd today. They stay long, but the discussions are short and confused. “What is this?”, “It’s something about security. Or war.”, “It must be a protest of some kind”. Then they stop talking and look. The young boys discuss what kind of bullets are on display.

When the boy in the box makes eye contact with someone from the crowd, they turn around and walk a few steps away. “He’s freaking me out”, “He has scary eyes”, they comment. When he looks away, or when the shutters go down, they come back to read the sign in silence.

A group of 13-14 year old dark-haired and dark-skinned boys stop in front of the box. The boy in the box makes eye contact with one of them. And he holds it. The other boy looks at his friends. “What the fuck is he up to? What does he want from me? He’s fucking weird”. They agree that the boy is making a fool out of himself and that it’s a waste of time to look at him. They start to walk. One of the guys yells, “Hey, I forgot to read the sign”. They all go back and read in silence. After a while they leave. An hour later they come back. They look at the boy for a couple of minutes. Make eye contact again. Again they agree that it’s a waste of time and leave.

A mother comes by with her children in her cargo bike. “What’s this, mummy?”, “Mummy, what’s this?”. All three keep asking. The mother takes her time to read. And think. She has a festival brochure in the bike. She explains that it’s a piece of art and that it will be here for ten days with 10 different people inside the box. The boy, who’s around 8 years old, says “I hope it’s not me who has to go inside the box tomorrow”. The mother starts to explain about the bullet cases and the gun. She asks, “Children, do you ever think about war? Are you ever afraid that we will have war in Denmark?”. “Could that happen?”, they ask with big eyes. She tells them that we can’t know for sure that it won’t, but it doesn’t look like it. We have good friends all over the world. “Like USA”, the youngest girl adds.

USA is a common point of reference today. A lot of people interpreting the text refer to the Americans. “The sign says that we should be careful not to create a gun culture like in The States”. A woman explains what the sign says to her friend. The other woman replies, “Well, hunters kill animals, not people. So what if they have firearms? This is completely exaggerated”. The friend rereads the text aloud while following the words with her finger: “However, the estimated number of private firearms is 1 million…”. She looks at her friend and adds, “I wonder how many people run around with a gun in Christiania?”. The friend laughs, “Haha, let’s just stay away from there. And from The States”.

Two men start talking. “Do you know what this is?”, the youngest ask. The other man explains that he has been passing by the other days as well. He really liked the content and the message the other days, but today it’s too much. “So I called the police”. “Good idea”, the other man says. “It must be really toxic to sit in there with all the empty bullet cases. And he’s clearly too young to be allowed to work. The police needs to see this”.

Two other men are also concerned about the working conditions for the young boy. “What I really don’t like is that he has to sit in there all day. That’s really not okay”. “I refuse to stand here and look at this”, a woman adds in a harsh tone. Most children are concerned about how he will get out of the box. One boy wonders if more and more bullet cases will fill up the box during the day and in the end drown him. A lot of people see the whole installation as a protest against child labour.

A young girl spells her way through the word school shootings. “Mum, what’s that?”. “It’s something they have had in The States. And in Finland. But hey, you don’t need to worry about that. They won’t find their way to a small school in Haslund”.

The sound from the box is the multiplied metallic sound of bullet cases falling on each other. And a clock – or a bomb – ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time is running. Towards the future. And who knows what it will bring?

---

Ceci n’est pas le futur*

The term “security” is of great importance in the Danish society. The amount spent on insurances has increased 25% in the past 10 years. Children and adults wear bike helmets. When talking about armed forces one prefers to use the word defense. Membership of organisations such as NATO and the UN has led the population to believe that peace will be maintained.

In the past 15 years, an increasing number of Danes have acquired a personal firearm. 200.000 Danes have a hunting license. However, the estimated number of private firearms is 1 million. There have to this day not been any Danish school shootings.

*This is not the future

 

Ceci n’est pas le futur*

Begrebet sikkerhed har stor betydning i det danske samfund. Det beløb, der årligt bruges på forsikringer, er steget med 25% de seneste 10 år. Børn og voksne bærer cykelhjelm. Når vi taler om væbnede styrker, foretrækker vi at benytte ordet forsvar. Medlemskab af organisationer som NATO og FN giver befolkningen en idé om, at freden vil blive bevaret.

Gennem de seneste 15 år har et stigende antal danskere erhvervet sig et personligt skydevåben. 200.000 danskere har jagttegn. Dog er det estimerede antal skydevåben i landet 1 million. Der har til dato ikke været nogen skoleskyderier i Danmark.

*Dette er ikke fremtiden

 

Højaktuelt gadeteater om flugt og frihed

Omtale: Fugit af det spanske kunstkollektiv Kamchátka
16. aug. kl. 16 og kl. 21 & 17.-18. aug. kl. 21. Halmtorvet 15, Vesterbro.

Kunst handler om at åbne sindet gennem interaktion
– Lluis Petit, skuespiller, Kamchatka

Øjne og kropssprog fortæller stærkere historier end det talte sprog.
For kendere af gadeteater-genren er Kamchátka synonym med grænse-overskridende oplevelser. Eller indlevelse(r) er nok et bedre ord i denne sammenhæng. Fordi Kamchátka skaber ikke blot teateroplevelser, de tager publikum med på en kropslig erfaringsrejse til en virkelighed, som de fleste i den vestlige verden er forskånet for.

Fugit af Kamchátka. Foto: Sylvie Bosc

Hvis du tror, at Kamchátkas Fugit er feel-bad teater, så tro om igen. Fugit er et midler-tidigt skæbnefællesskab, hvor publikum sammen flygter ind i ukendt territorie. For at leve sig ind i flugtens natur og for at føle, hvordan det er at være i en migrationsproces. Snarere end at undersøge de psykologiske effekter forbundet med flugt, arbejder Kamchátka i denne forestilling med flugten som tema ud fra et grundlæggende eksistentielt perspektiv og igennem den kollektive erfaring. Hvad får folk til at flygte? Hvad får dem til at forlade det sted, hvor de bor? Hvad drømmer de om? Hvilke håb har de? Er jeg glad, hvor jeg er? Spørgsmål vi også burde stille os selv?

Kollektive improvisationer
Det hele startede i 2007 i en række workshops, hvor Kamchátkas medlemmer udførte de første improvisationer – om integrationsproblemer og menneskelige modsætninger – på gaderne i deres hjemby Barcelona. En by, der havde, og har massive sociale problemer med integration. Siden da har immigration været genstand for research i alle deres forestillinger, og med Fugit afslutter de en trilogi, der startede med titelforestillingen Kamchátka fra 2007 og Habitaculum fra 2011.

Med forestillingen Kamchátka grundlagde gruppen rammerne for deres kunstneriske praksis. Ordløse forestillinger med udgangspunkt i kollektiv improvisation og research og en undersøgelse af immigrationsprocesser. De søger sammen med publikum en forklaring på, hvordan det føles at være immigrant. Hvor Kamchátka-forestillingen er gadeteater i interaktion med publikum og Habitaculum en interaktiv teaterinstallation i et hus, hvor publikum blev inviteret indenfor som flygtninge, er Fugit en iscenesat virkelighed – en labyrintisk total-installation skabt som en midlertidig by midt i København, hvor usikkerheden lurer i alle hjørner og kroge.

Det kraftfulde ordløse
Stilheden er kraftfuld. Øjne og kropssprog fortæller stærkere historier end det talte sprog. Det er et af Kamchátkas mantraer. At lade tavse karakterer fortælle deres historier  gennem handling og kropsudtryk. Historier, som sproget ikke kan indfange. De lader publikum komme helt tæt på og blive en del af den kollektive erfaringsrejse gennem den fælles oplevede ‘virkelighed’, der overskrider den levede virkelighed.

Forestillingens aktualitet er indlysende. Mere end nogensinde før har kunsten mulighed for at være katalysator for at forene modsætninger og skabe mere forståelse. For dem er det en indre nødvendighed at lave kunst om menneskeskæbner.

Den nødvendige kunst
Hos Kamchátka er man ikke i tvivl om det humanistiske ståsted.  For dem er kunstens sociale funktion udgangspunktet for værker, der griber fat i svære og modsætningsfyldte emmer, men som  i deres interaktionsform peger på grundlæggende eksistentielle og menneskelige mønstre.

Fugit er en forestilling om flugt og om håbet for frihed. I forestillingen fungerer migration og flygtningetemaet dog også som ramme for at lade spørgsmål om publikums egne tilværelser træde frem. Her kan der potentielt gemme sig en opfordring til ikke at gro fast det samme sted, men at bevæge sig fremad som menneske med sin egen ide om frihed.

At flygte handler om ikke at falde, men om at stoppe op og fortsætte fremad
– Lluis Petit, skuespiller, Kamchatka

Denne omtale er baseret på en samtale med Lluis Petit, skuespiller, Kamchatka, og teknisk leder på forestillingen Fugit. Cafe Mandela, Vesterbro, 13. august 2015

FUGIT af Kamchátka, Barcelona
En hyldest til dem, som tør forlade alt – til Europas migranter

HVAD Vandreforestilling
DATO 16. aug. kl. 16 og kl. 21 & 17.-18. aug. kl. 21
STED Halmtorvet 15, Vesterbro
PRIS 135 / 95 kr KØB BILLET

CREDITS
Af og med Cristina Aguirre, Sergi Estebanell, Claudio Levati, Andrea Lorenzetti, Judit Ortiz, Lluís Petit, Edu Rodilla, Santi Rovira, Gary Shochat, Prisca Villa
Kunstnerisk leder Adrian Schvarzstein
Produktion CARRER88, S.L i samarbejde med MELANDO
Støtte Derrière le Hublot – pôle des arts de la rue Capdenac  (Midi-Pyrénées), Pronomade(s) en Haute-Garonne – Centre National des Arts de la Rue (Encausse-les-Thermes), Festival Scènes de rue (Mulhouse),  Fira Tàrrega – Teatre Al Carrer (Spain)

Læs mere om Kamchátka og det øvrige program på Metropolis Festival på www.kit.dk

www.kamchatka.cat