Fragile Eyes
Premiere 19.3.2019
Zodiak
– Center for New Dance, Helsinki
About
“We should write (act) as we dream; we should even try and write (act), we should all do it for ourselves, it’s very healthy, because it’s the only place where we never lie. At night we don’t lie. Now if we think that our whole lives are built on lying – they are strange buildings – we should try and write (act) as our dreams teach us; shamelessly, fearlessly, and by facing what is inside very human being-sheer violence, disgust, terror, shit, invention, poetry.”
After Hélène Cixous
Fragile Eyes, based on The Laugh of the Medusa (1975) by the French philosopher and author Hélène Cixous, combines dance, text and music. The book, a feminist classic, has inspired numerous women and female artists to take a stance against the patriarchality of the Western culture.
“Write! Writing is for you, you are for you; your body is yours, take it.”
In her book, Cixous speaks about writing in a language particular to women and encourages women to own their bodies and experiences – and the writing born through them. 40 years after its publication, Cixous’ thinking is no less topical, because women’s liberation is still not an absolute value. The Laugh of the Medusa highlights the fragility of what has been achieved, but also how the achievements are defended and maintained.
Fragile Eyes takes the themes explored by Cixous onto the level of performative action and dreamlike logic. The performance in an immersive fabric where the audioscape and situations, new texts and songs inspired by Cixous’ thinking evoke hallucinatory states of being. Its dreamlike, absurd atmosphere is created when everyday occurrences merge with fantasy. The performance navigates the borderlines between various performing arts yet refuses to lock itself into any single genre.
Credits
Concept and direction
Liisa Pentti
Performers
Sonja Ahlfors, Bo Madvig, Marlon Moilanen, Pinja Poropudas, Klara Wenner Tångring, Joanna Wingren
Lighting design
Meri Ekola
Sound design
Jouni Tauriainen
Set design
Fabian Nyberg
Liisa Pentti
Performers
Sonja Ahlfors, Bo Madvig, Marlon Moilanen, Pinja Poropudas, Klara Wenner Tångring, Joanna Wingren
Lighting design
Meri Ekola
Sound design
Jouni Tauriainen
Set design
Fabian Nyberg
Costume design
Ingvill Fossheim
Dramaturge
Titta Halinen
Outside Eye
Rea-Liina Brunou
Producer
Inari Pesonen
Production
Liisa Pentti +Co, Zodiak – Center for New Dance
Ingvill Fossheim
Dramaturge
Titta Halinen
Outside Eye
Rea-Liina Brunou
Producer
Inari Pesonen
Production
Liisa Pentti +Co, Zodiak – Center for New Dance
Photo: Mia Kivinen