Report: Christian Rizzo: “What gets gouged out is the eye of the one protecting it.”
Text: Akiko Inoue
French artist Christian Rizzo has many hats, including choreographer, sculptor, designer, musician, stage designer, and opera director. Most recently, he was the curator of the video exhibition "Are you there?" at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, and this time he was in charge of the composition, choreography, and stage design for the dance performed at the KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theater. Nowadays, when people tend to specialize more and more, is there anyone who is active in such a wide variety of fields?
His first career in Japan was in 2004 with the ``Landscapes of Dance Exhibition'' at the Kanagawa Kenmin Hall Gallery. ``100% Polyester-objet dansant á definer n°34'' (100% Polyester Dancing Object) exhibited there is ``Two dresses with tied sleeves that allow the air to flow on a path lined with electric fans.'' It is a work that can be described as both an installation and a dance.I believe that this conceptual and genre-crossing multiplicity was demonstrated in this work as well.
By the way, the main theme of this dance performance is "exile from one's self with a hint of melancholy."
You can watch the digest and Lizzo's comments here.
As you can see from the video, the elements on stage include dance, music, sets, and lighting, and the set is only a rectangular box. The props included stones, letters, backpacks, plants, books, etc., and the box set was disassembled and its shape changed to subtly change the stage space.
While the dance and music were constantly changing, Kati Olive's lighting created minimal effects of light and shadow. (It was so beautiful!)
When you step into the venue...
Kerem was already sitting on a long box before the performance started. With a sad expression on its face, it might be more appropriate to say that it was sitting there like a figurine.
(c)Marc Domage
According to documents, he is wearing Lizzo's casual clothes. By having Kerem imitate his behavior, he projects his former self onto Kerem's body, creating a kind of complex meta-structure in which he realizes his own physical exile by objectifying him. As an audience member, one way to enjoy the performance was to be conscious of the presence of Kerem on stage and Lizzo in the audience.
The dance is made up of multiple sequences connected without interruption, and a wide variety of sounds such as noise, club music, Indian music, and harmonious music are synchronized, sometimes panning left and right, and sometimes different pieces of music overlapping. To go. Sometimes I could hear music coming from inside my backpack, and the spatial use of sound was impressive, and I felt like my consciousness was dancing just by following the sounds.
(c)Marc Domage
And the letters HERE placed on the stage by Kerem himself.
This is a spoiler, but in the end, a "T" is added to it and it becomes "THERE." I think the ending, which expresses that physical and emotional distance in just one word, is excellent. Then, Nirvana's ``smells like teen spirit,'' a 90's anthem covered by a melancholic female voice at a slow tempo, resounds on stage, leaving a lasting impression as the curtain falls.
(c)Marc Domage
mulatto
albino
mosquito
libido
Kurt Cobain's lyrics continue to echo in my head even after the show ends.
The 55-minute solo dance went by in the blink of an eye.
By the way, the title of this dance performance, ``Sakinan Göze Çöp Batar'' (What is gouged out is the eye of the protector) is apparently a Turkish proverb. I asked a friend who lives in Turkey, and he told me that the literal translation is "dust falls into the careful eye," and it means that only the things you cherish will be in trouble. It seems that the dancer Kerem himself suggested the title.
Watching his works always gives me an opportunity to think about something important to someone else.
I would like to conclude this report by expressing my gratitude for being able to witness this valuable opportunity as part of the Yokohama France Month program, which ended with great success.
