New Artefacts
Matthew William Robinson and Helge Letonja with the Ensemble Of Curious Nature
Two premieres by choreographers Matthew William Robinson and Helge Letonja with the ensemble Of Curious Nature
An idealized Arcadia bathed in glaring artificial light and a melancholic daydream in the autumn rain.
Arcadia (Myth.: An idyllic place of beauty in harmony with nature)
Matthew William Robinson
The last days of summer. A group of young people meet at the edge of a sports field. Athletic bodies move in glaring artificial light as if on a catwalk made of artificial turf. The boundaries between reality and fiction become blurred. And where beauty and perfection reign, self-aggrandizement and self-optimization are not far behind. Old myths emerge and, reinterpreted, create a shimmering hyperreality.
Black Rain
Helge Letonja
Water runs down oversized windows and feeds the agonizing longing for torrent rain to break the ongoing paralysis. In a silent film-like setting, Of Curious Nature plunges into a melancholic daydream whose images take on a surrealistic life of their own. People seem to be stuck and the difference between outside and inside gets blurred. A hint of nostalgia and regret is in the air. Images of lamentation emerge in an endless loop, dedicated to the big picture and yet disturbingly touching in their absurdity, with their toneless, empty bustle. Why mourn the loss of something that belongs to no one?
Matthew William Robinson, director of Malta’s national company Zfin Malta, and Helge Letonja, artistic director of Of Curious Nature, have initiated a long-term artistic exchange between their ensembles, enabling guest choreographies and guest performances in Malta and Bremen. At the end of October, they will present their first collaboration for the Bremen ensemble Of Curious Nature
Choreography: Matthew William Robinson , Helge Letonja | Choreographic Assistance: Mario Manara, Mariko Koh | Dance: Lys Cabral, Wan-Yun Chen, Agathe Mas, Jed Nagales, Panna Pozsony, Tiago Reis, Daniel Sabia, David Schmidt, Pere Sansaloni Servera, Carolina Verra | Lighting Design: Carlos Heydt | Technical Direction: Nathaniel Johnson | Production Management: Moritz Petri | Video Documentation: Médoune Seck | Photos: Mariann Menke
Production Office: steptext dance project | A production by TanzRAUM Nord gUG and steptext dance project, funded by the Senator für Kultur and the Karin-und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung.
