Transloca
As part of the programme of the Night of Philosophy in Leeuwarden, Holland, Transloca inaugurates its very first production: an immersive performance-dinner in the spaces of the Tresoar Library. The format of the performance allows people to engage with the work in a multi-sensorial experience, creating bridges between contemporary art practices and an audience of diverse fields and backgrounds.
A five course meal based on recipes of the ancient Greek cuisine hinted at the historical weight of the archived cultural documentation within the Library. Honey and Fish sauce substitute Sugar and Salt, the bread is paper thin and locked up in a vitrine. The vegetables are presented whole in their natural shape, and shared between the audience in a silent darkened room: a safe place for coming together and collective reflection.
Fractions of each course were displayed as installations amidst the natural sculptures by Spanish artist Abraham Hurtado and Dutch artist Heleen Haijtema, whose work addresses the local flora and landscape within the immediate surrounding of the city.
Choreographer and dancer Björn Säfsten’s performance mirrored the movement of falling plastic foil, creating organic sculptures out of an artificial material, playfully contextualising the act of plating a dish, all the way to serving the audience. His body responding to the movement, falling and unclothing himself. After the dancer falls to the floor, the disassembled cheese cake comes in, closing the dinner with an edible interpretation of the scenes just experienced.
Performance choreographed and developed by Transloca (Heleen Haijtema, Abraham Hurtado Ana Rocha, Andrea Möller, Björn Säfsten, Caique Tizzi), Agora Collective, Berlin (Marcela Donato, Maria Raddatz) and Media Art Friesland (Marinus Groen, technical producer).Music Concept and Performance by Katowice, City of Music UNESCO.With the help of Smakelijk Kookservice.
Images: Chris Hempenius