shed-zone of the unheard question

Performance 40 min with three performers, nettle, wood, transfer-prints, plaster, paste, wire, found objects, paper towels, pins

Shed-zone of the unheard question engages with themes of delineation and ambivalences of dependencies. Within the work sculptures merge with choreographic processes. Simple materials such as fragile wooden slats, transparent nettle fabric, and paper tissues transform into semi- transparent, soft, yet resilient walkable shelters for the performers. Transfer prints of body parts and persons lend vividness to the sculptures. Supported by one another and interconnected by crossbars, the sculptures may appear fragile and precarious, but they can continually rebalance themselves. This creates a play of fragility and robustness conceived to provoke questions about relationships of dependency and vulnerability. Certain elements on the sculptures can be detached and actively integrated into the performance, including two elements that transform from sculpture to clothing during the performance. The sculptures are modular and can be arranged freely in space, reflecting the engagement with performance art as a transformative, ephemeral medium in the character of the sculptures. The positioning of the plaster on the floor is also an element of the unfinished, simultaneously leaving traces on the floor, sculptures, and performers during the performance.

Three performers enact the 45-minute performance with isolated, as well as collective movements. Selected text elements and sound merge with minimalistic and slow choreographic sequences. A central motif in the choreography is the use of counter-weight, thus referencing the formation of the sculptures, which, intuitively by following a try and error process, ultimately achieved independent stability through methods of balancing. Another motif of the performance is a pulsating changing between individual choreographic sequences and collective, melting, or supportive movements. This creates a dreamlike collage of sound, movement, and text, intended to repeatedly offer subtle indications of interconnections between dependency, power, care, self-deception, and self-reflection.

with Sarah Altherr, Lena-Meral Albrecht, Luisiana Tesfai
camera Jihn Suh
photos Pauline Schey
costume Second Studio
text, choreography, sound Carla Vollmers