Two performances in one program

A woman collapsed over a pile of books on her old and worn out desk. Only the sparsely light from her desk lamp witnesses an otherwise dark and dusty room. The woman is IDAPERFORMS and from her little office she works on a manuscript meant to awaken the people and put forward the idea of revolution.

The woman suddenly awakes. She resumes her search through dusty books and old newspapers. The pace picks up. Books are opened and closed, pages franticly ripped out and notes written down. The séance develops into an almost rhythmical ceremonial dance. From here her work with the manuscript becomes just as much a physical story as a written one. As her ideas for the future develops, she grows stronger and whenever she moves around her little office, her nonverbal body speaks aggressive and self-confident words of movement.

IDAPERFORMS spreads her messages of revolution by uploading videos of her political manifestations to the internet. Therefore three live editing cameras has been installed that monitor her at all times. One from above, one focused on her face and one overlooks the office from the side, in the height of her hips.

Visible on stage is also film and sound editors Vlad Basalici and Gabi Basalici. They have taken the role of receivers of IDAPERFORMS’ uploaded videos and as on the internet, they are now in a position to interpret and use the video material in any way they want. Through live-editing they create their own version of the woman IDAPERFORMS. Will she still appear as a strong rebel leader or will they perhaps reveal softer and more fragile sides of her? Will her political views still make sense or will they be reduced to gibberish?

The edited material is projected onto a silver screen on stage and in this way two simultaneous stories starring the same woman are outplayed before the eyes of the audience. One is performed live and the other is presented through the manipulated video material. Sometimes the stories are complementary, creating a duo that intensifies the atmosphere by repeating elements and accentuating details. At other times they contradict like were the two women strangers to one another.

Rebirth of the Critical
Premiere: Sep. 2010, Bucharest

Performance: IDAPERFORMS
Film, editing and sound: Vlad Basalici & Gabi Basalici

Sparring partner: Silas Harrebye (PHD, RUC)
Documentation: Marianne Bøgh Pedersen

Production: ArtProcessors