BAGS | 2011
BAGS - the body bouncing back.
[durational performances proposed by radical_hope]
... sleeping BAG, peeping BAG, leaking BAG, creeping BAG and other BAGS are performances on resilience : the property of a material to absorb energy when it is 'stressed' and then, upon unloading to have this energy 'recovered'. Making use of speechless and motionless communication (staying power, pure bodily presence, camouflage, invisible relocation and rumours), BAGS is a means of rehearsing various kinds of energy-extensions : speculation, paranoia, the illusionary as well as anabolic states … BAGS is as much 'right there infront of your nose' as it is 'dammed in your head'. It's the mouth shutting up and the body bouncing back.
A performer commits him-/herself within a given public setting (festival lounge, shopping mall, public space, etc.) to dress in a bag-costume, lay down in a sleeping position and move as little as possible and for as long as possible. He/she waits for 'blind moments', during which an unrecognizable change of location can take place.
Resilience : staying power and the ability to bounce back.How can we communicate when speech and recognizable movement aren't available instruments for connecting with each other any longer ?
Camouflage : becoming an object and blending in with the surroundings. The design of the bag-costume will depend on the context, space and type of venue, be it a festival-foyer, 24-hour event or public space in daily use.
Stillness : setting a norm of motion. The normal mode of presence for a 'bag-performer' is being 'static'. Since this is not actually possible to achieve, performing ʻbeing static' demands a kind of motion which allows the body to communicate the illusion of stillness. It is comparable to a state of meditation where the performer maintains a tension between being aware and almost being absent - ʻsleepingʼ.
Relocation : motion with, within and around a body. While maintaining the physical well-being of his/her body by moving muscles and bones in a certain way, the performer needs to be aware of the surrounding bodies in order to find 'blind moments' during which a relocation in space can take place. Without drawing attention to him-/herself, the performer moves to another place where he installs him-/herself quickly in order to then go back to a state of 'stillness'. The bag literally disappears from one location and becomes present in another.
Rumors : stories and paranoia. In order to establish a connection between the ʻstillʼ and ʻinvisibleʼ body, and the public, different rumours about the BAG are spread beforehand. The circulating contradictory information produces fragments of unreliable stories, causing a state of 'positive paranoia' — an attitude of speculation which makes it possible to refer to a reality that is not yet identifiable, certain, stable or predictable.
[radical_hope is
a character at work, confronting us with what art does and can(not) do.
The guiding question is how from an artistic point of view a context
can be touched and challenged without loosing its natural complexity.
The practice of radical_hope is generating in-situ instruments for
social transition and tries to put into action the
principle of changeability.][more]
Tour
01-05-2010 until 2 May (17 hours) : invited by NG in the frame of LET'S SWIM TO OUR ISLANDS - nadine - Plateau, Brussels07-10-2011 until 8 Oct (24 hours) : invited by Davis Freeman in the frame of EXPANDING ENERGY, Kaaitheater - Brussels
concept :
radical_hope
originally conceived on an invitation of :
NG
performance :
Heike Langsdorf, ...
costume - sleeping BAG / Brussels - nadine :
Barbette, radical_hope
rumors at nadine / Brussels :
Lilia Mestre, NG, Elke Van Campenhout, Joël Verwimp, Nicolas Y Galeazzi, ...
rumors at Kaaitheater / Brussels :
Helga Baert, Ulrike Dobmeier, Katja Dreyer, Davis Freeman, Guy Gypens, Dolores Hulan, Lilia Mestre, Herman Venderickx, ...
support :
Kunst/Werk, APASS