The theory of six degrees of separation claims that we are six or fewer steps away from anyone else on earth. Bart Baele and Yves Degryse address this mathematical theory by travelling the planet to film accounts of stories told in the press or on social media. They filmed thirty stories using a 3/4 shot, in New York, Japan, Spain and Belgium, which are presented on thirty screens for thirty spectators moving from one to another. This intense, mischievous and diabolical human kaleidoscope is as much documentary theatre as an art installation or performance.
On the stage of the Rennes Opera House, thirty spectators take their place in front of thirty screens installed in a circle at the heart of a metallic structure in the form of a round table. Faces filmed using a 3/4 shot appear and tell their story. These personal accounts, life events, philosophical declarations, scientific notions and unusual anecdotes, taken from around the world in New York, Japan, Spain and Belgium, had already been featured in international press or on social media before Belgian artists Bart Baele and Yves Degryse got their hands on them. Each spectator can choose five of these videos illustrating the theory of six degrees of separation.
This latest project by the Antwerp collective is part of their Horror Vacui (fear of empty space) series. The title, Perhaps All The Dragons, was inspired by Austrian author Rainer Maria Rilke and blurs the lines between documentary theatre, installation, performance, journalism, directing and mathematical orchestration. This exclusive tête-à-tête with five other links in the chain of humanity immerse spectators in stories that end up coming together and revealing their hidden links. It is an intense, sensitive and off-the-wall experience – a mischievous and diabolical kaleidoscope of humanity.
BIOGRAPHY
Fondé à Anvers (Belgique) en 2003 par les artistes Bart Baele, Yves Degryse et Caroline Rochlitz, le collectif Berlin a entamé le cycle « Holocène » (soit notre ère géologique actuelle) armé de caméras, de techniques d’interview, de tables de montage et de quelques comédiens, avec les spectacles Jerusalem, Iqaluit, Moscow, Bonanza, Lisboa et Zvizdal. Il s’est ensuite attaqué au cycle « Horror Vacui » (l’horreur du vide) dont Tagfish, Land’s End et Perhaps All The Dragons sont les trois premiers épisodes. Le collectif se caractérise par l’aspect documentaire et interdisciplinaire de sa quête de témoignages au-delà des frontières, chaque projet étant ancré dans une ville ou une région de la planète. Toujours au travail sur de nouveaux spectacles pour les deux cycles, le collectif a convenu d’achever le cycle « Holocène » à Berlin, avec la création d’un docu-fiction auquel participeront différents habitants des villes ayant fait l’objet des projets précédents du cycle.
DISTRIBUTION
Artistic Director : Bart Baele and Yves Degryse
Concept : Berlin
With : Derek Blyth, Sergey Glushkov, Francois Pierron, Juan Albeiro Serrato Torres, Rinat Shaham, Shizuka Hariu, Shlomi Kirchely, Jonas Jonsson, Nirman Arora, Suneet Chhabra, Luci Comincioli, Roger Christmann, Regina Vilaça, Pat Butler, Walter Müller, Adela Efendieva, Andrew Mugisha, Ramesh Parekh, Nico Mäkel, Wim Mäkel, Tamas Sandor, Philippe Cappelle, Romik Rai, Brecht Ghijselinck, Vladimir Bondarev, Andrei Tarasov, Matsumoto Kazushi, Bob Turner, Geert-Jan Jansen, Kurt Lannoye, Robrecht Ghesquière, Laura Fierens, Patryk Wezowski, Hilde Verhelst and Christina Davidsen
Musical composition : Peter Van Laerhoven
Text : Kirsten Roosendaal, Yves Degryse and Bart Baele
Set design : Berlin and Manu Siebens
Technical management : Robrecht Ghesquière
Research & theatrical adaptation : Natalie Schrauwen
Sets and accessories : Jessica Ridderho and Natalie Schrauwen
Set construction : Manu Siebens, Robrecht Ghesquière, Bregt Janssens and Koen Ghesquière
PRODUCTION
Production : BERLIN
Coproduction : Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg [DE], KunstenfestivaldesArts [Bruxelles, BE], le CENTQUATRE [Paris, FR], Dublin Theatre Festival [Dublin, IE], Centrale Fies [Dro, IT], Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival [Groningen, NL], La Bâtie – Festival de Genève [Genève, CH], Zomer van Antwerpen [BE]
With the support of Gouvernement Flamand, NXTSTP, du programme Culture de l’Union Européenne, et ONDA – Office national de diffusion artistique.
BERLIN is an artist associated with CENTQUATRE-PARIS.
