LA PAILLOTE TAKPEKPE-ELIPSES: HUMANITY STATE OF AMNESIA
Alliance Francaise Accra presents “Ellipses: Humanity State of Amnesia”, a night of non-representational and physical theater at Alliance Francaise Accra, on Wednesday 27th, 2016 at 7:30 pm.
_______
It will be a step ahead on the Ghanaian theatrical stage on Wednesday, 27th July, 2016 at 7:30pm at Alliance Francaise Accra.
“Ellipses: Humanity’s State of Amnesia” is an art project mainly based on physical theater, a totally new drama type in Ghana. This project aims at bridging the gap between the histories of humanity and its current situation.
In recent years, people and objects have seen force displacement for the sake of “development”. In the process, there is a deletion and/or (dis) connection of memory and history. “Ellipses: Humanity’s Sate of Amnesia” explores how these memories and histories are (dis) connected and how the body which is a repository of all memories, emotions and histories can activate these erased/ (dis) connected memories and histories and make them relive again. As all objects both animate and inanimate have memories which are imprinted so do humanity. The project tries to connect or piece together fragments of displaced memories. It further explores the usually unacknowledged anxieties, despair and paradox that surround humanity.
Drawing from pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial histories and memories, the project again links audience with various memories and histories that are displaced and others that are assimilated in the name of civilization and development. It absorbs predominantly religious, social, traditional and political deprecated issues.
This Project also (re) creates detachment of gruesome reality of life using non-representational physical movements. The performers will engage their bodies in pixilated movements to piece together fragments of memory. The performance questions inertia in Ghanaian politics, religion and culture using simple and minimalistic movements. It uses gestural strangeness and unrecognizable body shapes to draw audience into obscurity and distance in order to tap into what Marina Grzinic describes as new territories (immaterial territories) for transformational consciousness.
The performance will be far from acting, everything from pain, anger, sweat, desperation will be done in complete brutal honesty. This is done to create a medium of contradictions, chaos and at the same time harmony to connect the thread of struggle, ambiguity, despair, and reflect on the basic problems that confront and stifle under privileged people in society.
It must be noted that the various movements are not translation of meaning but a response to prevalent issues, philosophical ideas, paintings, poems and news articles. It presents a polysemic narrative which the audience is free to deduce, infer or make up explanations and logical conclusion. However that is not the aim of the performance; the aim is to use the stage as a platform that creates experience and not generates knowledge. Also the idea is to push the boundary of text based or spoken language dramas.
This is a performance where everything is co-created and co-shared. Emotional response is an instinct and intuition that comes before the interpretation. The audience can be present, connect and live through the performance.
Ellipses: Humanity’s State of Amnesia will focus on body parts isolation, struggle and conflict between the different elements of the body. It aims at creating movements that take the body out of its everyday habits that are unconsciously embedded in it. The generated material is further explored through repetition, minimalism and simplicity. The show will be a montage of these small repetitive pieces. The performance is a practice-as-research examination of non-representational theatre/ physical theatre.
The event takes place on Wednesday, 27th July, 2016 at the La Paillote Stage, Alliance Française Accra at 7:30pm.
This is actually an event to attend by all African in general and Ghanaians in particular. It brings fourth an all new form of art in Ghana to discover and at the same time awaken us on a pure reality in our today’s society; an amnesic society lost on its way to the future it expects.
RATE: 5Ghc and 3Ghc for AF Students and Members / Free under 16
La Paillote Takpekpe is a platform for emerging artists funded by Alliance Francaise Accra – Scheduled every last Wednesday of the month. If you have an idea for an event, contact us: events@afaccra.org / 0501287811
Contact:
Eleanor Dartey, Media Relations Officer.
Email: mediarelations@afaccra.org, 0501287817
Website: www.afaccra.org, Facebook: alliancefrancaisedaccra
