Yu Bai
23.3.2024
PC Dieter Hartwig
Down the rabbit hole we go, dear readers, into a world where dreams dance freely and reality bends like a curious reflection in a looking glass. "Das Leuchten / The Glow" by SEE! Collective premiered at Ballhaus Ost on the 22nd of March 2024, is a non-linear collection of moments akin to Alice's adventures in Wonderland - a whimsical realm where movement and spoken word intertwine to weave a land of imagination.
As the performance unfolds, words fill the space like riddles from the Cheshire Cat, accompanied by gestures that anchor the performers on stage. The atmosphere shifts seamlessly from warm hues to a cool, ethereal blue, setting the space for a hypnotic spectacle.
Above the performers, a grand cloth drapes across the ceiling like a magical canopy. As the duo engages, they release this airy fabric, breathing life into still objects. Like the paintings from Salvador Dalí, time, objects and landscape transverse its ruling materiality and limitations much similar to how we experience time and objects in dreams or subconsciousness. The cloth descends gracefully, transforming into a translucent screen that hosts a captivating shadow play. A romantic aura permeates the scene, transporting a room of spectators into a dreamlike ambiance.
The duet continues to develop with a seamless exchange of physicality, where each movement becomes a delicate interplay of bodies in motion, gracefully bearing the weight of one another, seamlessly supporting and responding to one another - sometimes through sound, sometimes through movement, and sometimes through gaze. Amidst this kinetic dialogue, phrases like "this is a mess, this is a calling, this is a living" reverberate, weaving a non-linear narrative that defies traditional storytelling.
Within this dreamscape, themes of time and interconnectedness play out like the Mad Hatter's tea party, prompting reflection on the fluidity of existence. Words like "before is after, after is before" punctuate the performance, challenging temporal norms and blurring the boundaries between past and present.
The culmination of the duet grounds itself in a shared reality, echoing the sentiment of "Let's arrive here on the ground, the common ground." Noteworthy is the live sound experience, with sinus tones and deep bass intertwined with drops of water, melodies, and beats. It is a delight to watch, as the soundscape is dynamically tuned on stage to correspond with movements and visual elements. As a spectator, I find myself transported into this vividly imagined world, swept away by the unpredictable currents of a narrative that ignites curiosity and wonder.
Learn more about SEE! Kollektiv