A man with short dark hair and a black T-shirt digs intently with his fingers into the body of a brown mummy.
© Eike Walkenhorst
A man with short dark hair and a black T-shirt digs intently with his fingers into the body of a brown mummy.
© Eike Walkenhorst
Still Openhaus
Performance

Arkadi Zaides

Necropolis

Tickets:

24/14 Euro (conc. from 9 Euro, [k]-Karte from 7 Euro)

Info

From the age of 18. Note on sensory stimuli: The play begins in the dark with an audio recording. The room is darkened most of the time. A large screen alternates between a moving digital map and videos and texts filmed with a cell phone camera. The videos are accompanied by soundtracks with background noises of varying intensity, e.g. footsteps, birdsong, building work in the background. The beginning and end of the sound recording are sometimes offset in time to the video image. At one point, the soundtrack of a video and the spoken text overlap. In the second half of the evening, 3D animations can also be seen on the screen.

Past dates

Arkadi Zaides and his team are creating an archive of bodies that Europe has only allowed entry as corpses. They are working from a list compiled since 1993 by UNITED for Intercultural Action, a network of hundreds of anti-racist organisations. This list documents the deaths of refugees and migrants at the hands of the European border regime. Using partially documentary, partially investigative approaches and choreographic practices, Zaides is developing a map. It stretches in all directions across space and time and tells the stories of those who inhabit “Necropolis”. And although there is no one left to dance in the city of the dead, it is precisely this no one that Zaides wants to bring back to life. Zaides invites the audience to discover a ghostly territory, to question own actions, the sense of responsibility and the role as citizens.

The picture shows the hands and arms of two people facing each other from above, passing a brown mummified hand from one to the other. In the background, further mummy parts can be seen on a dark green background.
© Eike Walkenhors
Two people, recognisable only as dark silhouettes, are sitting at a table facing a large screen. On the screen there is an image of a white statue holding up both hands at head height.
© Eike Walkenhorst
Two people, recognisable only in dark silhouette, are sitting at a table with a view of a large screen. A satellite image of a coastline can be seen on the screen. In the centre, a location pin can be seen on a white surface
© Eike Walkenhorst
Two people, recognizable only as dark silhouettes, sit at a table in front of a large screen. They are both turning their backs to the camera. On the screen is an image from Google Earth with several geometrically arranged buildings and trees.
© Institut des Croisements
A man with short dark hair and a black T-shirt digs intently with his fingers into the body of a brown mummy.
© Eike Walkenhorst

Concept & art direction Arkadi Zaides Dramaturgy, text and voice Igor Dobricic Research assistant Emma Gioia Performance Arkadi Zaides, Emma Gioia Sculpture Moran Senderovich 3D modelling Mark Florquin Avatar animation Jean Hubert Animation assistant Thibaut Rostagnat Lighting Jan Mergaert Sound design Asli Kobaner Research Graves Aktina Stathaki, Amalie Lynge Lyngesen, Amber Maes, Amirsalar Kavoosi, Ans Van Gasse, Arkadi Zaides, Benjamin Pohlig, Bianca Frasso, Carolina-Maria Van Thillo, Christel Stalpaert, Doreen Kutzke, Dorsa Kavoosi, Elisa Franceschini, Elvura Quesada, Emma Gioia, Frédéric Pouillaude, Gabriel Smeets, Giorgia Mirto, Gosia Juszczak, Igor Dobricic, Ilka Van Bijlen, Jordy Minne, Joris Van Imschoot, Julia Asperska, Juliane Beck, Katia Gandolfi, Katja Seitajoki, Lilas Forissier, Lina Gilani Tsitouri, Lovis Heuss, Luca Lotano, Lucille Haddad, Maite Zabalza, Maria Sierra Carretero, Mercedes Roldan, Myriam Van Imschoot, Myrto Katsiki, Osnat Kelner, Özge Atmış, Pepa Torres Perez, Sarah Leo, Selby Jenkins, Simge Gücük, Solveig Gade, Sunniva Vikør Egenes, Tamara Vajdíková, Tilemachos Tsolis, Yannick Bosc, Yari Stilo Technical Direction Etienne Exbrayat Production Simge Gücük / Institut des Croisements International Distribution Rui Silveira/Something Great

Coproduction: Théâtre de la Ville (FR), Montpellier Danse 40 Bis (FR), Charleroi Danse (BE), CCN2 Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble (FR), les ballets C de la B (BE), Tanz im August / HAU Hebbel am Ufer (DE), La Filature – Scènenationale de Mulhouse (FR)

Residency support: CCN – Ballet de Lorraine (FR), STUK (BE), PACT Zollverein (DE), WP Zimmer (BE), Workspacebrussels (BE), Cie THOR (BE)

Support for experimentation: RAMDAM, un centre d’art (FR) Arkadi Zaides / Institut des Croisements is supported by French Ministry of Culture – DRAC Auvergne Rhône-Alpes