Final Performance of 'People Spoke'

Areille and Orion (in absentia) were kind enough to host me for my final performance in Berlin, as part of Berlin's Month of Performance art.

I inserted a slightly different opening for this perfomance. Here is an excerpt:

SLAVOJ ZIZEK: You know what is interesting to me in the Turkey situation is that its alot like the Arab Spring yes, but also the Turks have much more, er, media *sniff* and so it was even quicker to get out on the internet and so on. I mean this is a really good example, I think, where, you know, the media is not reporting directly so much on the crisis, but it also doesn’t matter so much because the narrative is already written without them.

Thank you to all who came last night, it was such a pleasant and unexpected evening.

rp

MVI 0584 from Richard Pettifer on Vimeo.

People Spoke - Berlin (1) from Richard Pettifer on Vimeo.
Photos/Videos: Arielle Bier

Berlin Bombing

Wedding is a suburb of Berlin known for its Turkish population (which is actually only about 30%). We sat on a particular wall of Wedding every day for one week from 4-11th May, and constructed a Wall Embassy. The concept was to create a space that did not exist within national structures. Our research centred on 'Statelessness', which is a term denoting both people who have no nationality and are therefore not protected by international law, and the utopian idea of people who are free to float between national borders with relative freedom, such as I was doing on my way over to Berlin from Australia (although it was not as easy as this sounds).

People could join us on the wall by climbing the ladder and passing a simple test, which most artists failed. The test was as follows:

1) Think of an 'apple' and say 'banana'
2) Think of 'Europe' and say 'Egypt'
3) Think of a 'Beggar' and say 'Businessman'

Performances in Bucharest

In Bucharest, I found a generous and engaged arts community. I made two performances, both to full houses, one in an abandoned building which has been turned into an arts space called Carol 53, and the other in the Apartment Theatre of my host, Lorin, called Lorgean Theatre.

http://lorgeantheatre.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/un-australian-la-lorgean/
http://casacarol53.wordpress.com/

Photos from the performance of People Spoke in Carol 53 were taken by Ana-Maria Iordache, who was also my host along with her sister Roxana.

"The most dangerous forms of oppression are created by shaking hands" Interview with Cristina Toderas

As part of my performances in Bucharest, I was interviewed by journalist Cristina Toderas. The full interview can be found using the link below (Romanian).

http://totb.ro/cele-mai-periculoase-forme-de-opresiune-sunt-create-prin-strangeri-de-maini/

”Cele mai periculoase forme de opresiune sunt create prin strângeri de mâini” _

A translation with Google Translate (and some grammatical corrections) follows.

"The most dangerous forms of oppression are created by shaking hands"

People Spoke is the performance that Richard Pettifer aims to discuss individual freedom and its limits. The show is part of Global Warming tour, which began on 1 January 2013 and will be completed when the artist will comes to Berlin, where he will join other artists who protest against unsustainable methods used by governments. During the tour, departing from central Australia to Darwin, then across the Timor Sea to Indonesia, stopping in Java and Sumatra Islands, then in Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Myanma, Northern India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey to Europe Richard preferred to travel by bus or train. A plane used only twice since the beginning of the challenge, when it was absolutely necessary. The only way to leave Australia is flying, and the artist needed artificial wings to cross Myanmar. 

Coming performance dates - Bucharest

 

Artwork: Jean-Lorin Sterian

People Spoke
17th April
Carol I Boulevard, No' 53, 020915 Bucharest, Romania
22:00
(free), 45 mins
 facebook.com/events/488280397911450/?fref=ts

The Agony and the Ecstasty of Steve Jobs
by Mike Daisey
19th April
Lorgean Theatre, Bucharest
In English
(price: one fresh apple) 90 mins

lorgeantheatre.wordpress.com

Persian Broken Fish Project

TEHRAN, IRAN

In early April I undertook two weeks residency with environmental artist Ahmed Nadalian in Iran. I had a lot of problems with Ahmed's approach, which seemed to me apolitical and apathetic at a time when action is paramount. He, in turn, found me to be overly cynical and detached (my words).

I promised him I would make a performance if he gave me one of his fish, which he makes by carving images of fish into rocks. When he gave it to me I began to smash it against the tiles of his gallery. Ahmed was filming using my camera. When it was finished, we realised that the camera was not rolling. I filmed the subsequent moment by accident, you can hear our embarrassed laughter.



2013-04-09 17.58.42 from Richard Pettifer on Vimeo.


Ahmed would late charge me 10,000 Iranian Rial (about $3) for the rock. He told me now that it was broken he would be able to sell it for double.

I conducted an interview with Ahmed about climate change - which I will post shortly.

The Rooftop Stage in Kolkata (Calcutta)

Photos from the performance of 'Two Love Letters' on a rooftop in Kolkata, India.

 With thanks to League of Shadows for hosting me.

Pictured: Priyam Chaterjee