For audience, 2 speakers, 2 assistants and supervisor
40'
2019
Program Notes:
English:
„A Perfect Circle“ is a therapeutic group session that addresses self-awareness and embodied memories. It utilizes the technique „Projected Mapping“ and has been described as „A bridge to Nowhere“ or as „Nothing but a Shadow“.
Through body interaction and continuity streams the participants engage in guided partner exercises. When eyes are failing, hands are supportive. When bodies are overwritten, we surrender. When we truly look in the eyes of our loved one, we opt out, and zone in. Continuity, dark streams, a snake eating its tail.
You stretch your hands out, the darkness sustains: True perfection has to be imperfect.
Deutsch:
"A Perfect Circle" ist eine therapeutische Gruppensitzung, die sich mit Selbstwahrnehmung und Körpererinnerungen beschäftigt. Sie verwendet die Technik "Projected Mapping" und wurde als „Nichts weiter als ein Schatten" oder als "Eine Brücke ins Nirgends" beschrieben.
Durch Körperinteraktion und Kontinuitätsströme beteiligen sich die Teilnehmer an geführten Partnerübungen. Versagen die Augen, unterstützen die Hände. Werden Körper überschrieben, ergeben wir uns. Schauen wir wirklich in die Augen unser Geliebten, so klammern wir uns aus und klinken uns ein. Kontinuität, dunkle Ströme, eine Schlange frisst ihren Schwanz.
Du streckst deine Hände aus, die Dunkelheit hält an: Wahre Perfektion muss unvollkommen sein.
Full Description:
Abstract
„A Perfect Circle“ is an installation that allows the change of perspective and body perception. The technique establishes a virtual reality and addresses emotions and identity.
Its therapeutic approach lets the visitor look through different eyes and addresses self-awareness and embodied memories. It utilizes the technique „Projected Mapping“.
Through guided, simple movement instructions the participants engage in exercises. The use of video-glasses and cameras facilitates the switching of perspectives - hence letting the visitors look at each other and themselves in new ways.
Project Description
“A Perfect Circle” is an immersive installation piece of approximately 60 minutes duration for about 40 people per run. The audience is divided into two groups with 20 members each. In each room the audience is positioned into pairs of two.
Every visitor puts on video-glasses, so that everybody experiences everything trough a screen in front of their eyes. In the first step the participants see through a camera attached to their own glasses. So everything starts with a virtual image of their own perspective. During the performance the camera routings are switched and the audience sees through the perspective of their partners (like a mirror) - or of a matching couple in another room. Hence the visitor switches through different perspectives
and hence is able to see through his own eyes differently, look at themselves differently, and look through the eyes of somebody else. The session is narrated and guided by performers - giving instructions how to interact with the respective partners. These exercises deal with embodiment, body perception, the link of feeling and body, change of perspective, acceptance, distance and virtuality.
Goal and Motivation
The session offers an artistic setting, which touches therapeutic elements - but does so on a purely artistic level. In its poetic form it offers the chance to engage and evaluate relationships with a different view.
It is both strange and beautiful at the same time and is meant to offer a broad palette of associations.
This setting provides a rich starting point for a variety of different relations, interactions, change of perspectives and narration. While it is strongly a direct and emotional experience, it aims
at creating a setting that lets us look at and through the bodies of other people - thus bridging also gender, age, background. The virtual setting decreases the shame of opening up to the partners in the setting and hence builds a strange and beautiful intimacy.
Credits:
Credits A Perfect Circle
Alexander Schubert
A Perfect Circle
7.2.2019 & 8.2.2019
ECLAT Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart
Musik der Jahrhunderte e.V.
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
Johanna Zimmer
Truike van der Poel
Martin Nagy
Andreas Fischer
Gareth Davis
Composition commission supported by Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung
Video: Carl-John Hoffmann
Dramaturgy: Thomas Fiedler