Text: Akiko Inoue
French artist Christian Rizzo is a multifaceted artist, choreographer, sculptor, designer, musician, stage designer, and opera director. He recently curated the video exhibition "Are You There?" at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, and this time he was responsible for the composition, choreography, and stage design of a dance performance at the KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre. In these days of increasing specialization, is it possible to imagine someone else who is so active in such a wide range of fields?
His first activity in Japan was the "Landscapes Surrounding Dance" exhibition at the Kanagawa Prefectural Hall Gallery in 2004. The piece "100% Polyester-objet dansant á definer n°34" (100% polyester dancing object) exhibited there was a work that could be interpreted as both an installation and a dance, with "two dresses with tied sleeves swaying with the air on a path lined with electric fans." I think that this conceptual and genre-crossing versatility was also on display in this work.
By the way, the main theme of this dance performance is "banishment from the melancholic self."
You can watch the digest and Lizzo's comments here.
As you can see from the video, the elements on stage were dance, music, set, and lighting, and the set was just a rectangular box. Props included stones, letters, backpacks, plants, books, etc., and the set box was disassembled and changed shape to subtly change the stage space.
While the dance and music were constantly changing, Kati Olive's lighting provided a minimalist play of light and shadow (so beautiful!).
When you step into the venue...
Before the show even begins, Kerem is already sitting on a long box, with a sad expression on his face, perched like a statue.
(c)Marc Domage
According to the documents, he is wearing Rizo's own clothes. And by imitating his posture and behavior, he projects his former self onto Kerem's body, and by objectifying himself, he realizes his own physical expulsion, creating a kind of complex meta-structure. As an audience member, it may have been fun to watch while being aware of the presence of both Kerem on stage and Rizo in the audience.
A wide variety of sounds, including noise, club music, Indian music, and harmonic music, were synchronized with the dance, with multiple sequences connected without any breaks, panning from side to side, and sometimes different pieces of music overlapping. Sometimes the music could be heard from inside the backpack, and the use of spatial sound was impressive. Just following the sound made me feel as if my own consciousness was dancing.
(c)Marc Domage
And the word HERE was placed on the stage by Kerem himself.
This is a spoiler, but in the end, "T" is added to it to make it "THERE". I think the ending, which expresses the physical or mental distance in just one letter, is excellent. Then, on stage, a slow tempo cover of the 90s anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana rings out, with a melancholic female voice, and the curtain falls with a lingering impression.
(c)Marc Domage
mulatto
albino
Mosquito
libido
Kurt Cobain's words continue to ring in my head even after the show ends.
The 55-minute solo dance went by in a flash.
By the way, the title of this dance performance, "Sakinan Göze Çöp Batar" (It is the guardian's eye that is gouged out) is a Turkish proverb. When I asked an acquaintance living in Turkey, he told me that the literal translation is "Garbage falls on the careful eye," meaning that only the things we cherish will suffer disaster. Apparently, it was dancer Kerem himself who suggested the title.
Viewing a work always gives me an opportunity to think about what is important to someone.
I would like to conclude this report by expressing my gratitude for having had the opportunity to witness this rare opportunity as part of the Yokohama France Month program, which ended with great success.
