In 2012, the format «Short Pieces» was created at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel. Within this format, young upcoming artists showcase their short solos and duos, most of which emerge from metropolis of the South and the East. Culture Matters spoke to three artists who were part of the «Short Pieces» programme in order to find out more about central elements in their work and about the chances they see in participating in the format.
- by Anna Von Sury
The pieces shown in the «Short Pieces» programme come from various countries from all over the world. This offers an opportunity to observe different realities through different eyes. «Short Pieces» specifically have to do with journeys of particular people. They don't necessarily address a whole context. It's a more in-depth look at a person, and how a person perceives certain things, but obviously narrated by the context, by the society and environment that informs the person. So it's a great insight into what occurs in other places", says Buhlebezwe Siwani, a performance and multimedia artist from South Africa. Together with Chuma Sopotela they performed the duo «Those Ghels» as a European Premiere in this year's «Short Pieces» programme: Both have already performed solos in the short pieces format in previous years.
A more in-depth look at a person is what the audience gets when watching the piece «Untitled» by Danya Hammoud, a choreographer and performer from Lebanon. Danya's piece is a fresh interpretation of Mary Wigman's solo «Hexentanz» from 1926. In her performance, Danya takes up and reflects on issues that are important in her work in general, such as the relation to the ground, the notion of violence and of continuity. In the short video statement below, Danya tells us what she tries to achieve with her work and how she sees art as a way of re-questioning reality.
Chuma and Buhlebezwe also re-question reality in «Those Ghels». In their performance, they turn around stereotypes of how black female bodies are widely presented and perceived in music videos. But challenging perceptions of others is not only important in this piece; Chuma and Buhlebezwe see this as a central element to their work as artists in general. By sharing and exchanging knowledge at festivals such as the Theater Spektakel, it becomes possible to challenge each other's perceptions of who we think the other person is, to confront prejudices and therefore to have a look at ourselves through the eyes of someone else. In the video below, Buhlebezwe and Chuma speak about the value of the Theater Spektakel in providing a space for challenging preconceived ideas and for meeting other creative people.
