International Festival of Contemporary Theatre
Programme
Adventures can be found anywhere, même dans le courage
31.08., 1.09., 3.09., 4.09., 5.09., 6.09., 7.09. 11:00-16:00, Berga Bazārs, Marijas iela 13 k-4 | Free
Seated around a large table, a group of artists apply themselves to the task of rewriting a book they have carefully chosen together. They reappropriate its words and unpack their possibilities, altering the substance of the text by projecting themselves into it. Each fragment is read, shared, exhibited. Through this ceaseless communal labour, the performers produce a new, collective work that’s closer to our current moment. Immersed in the silence of writing, the drawings of words, and the echoes of voices that mingle together, the audience combines its own experience of the world, of art, and of desire with that of the original book, which is transformed and multiplied under the authorship of the assembled artists. This performance-installation presented continuously over many days is a vibrant and mischievous declaration of love to literature. The interdisciplinary group PME-ART hands over this project to engaged artists from Latvia, who continue this celebration of the creative power of reading by seizing upon its potential for perpetual reactivation.
ACCESSIBILITY
Portable, but steep ramp for wheelchairs on the other side of the building. If you need help, please ask the volunteers on site. The readings in the festival center on 7.09. are easily accessible for visitors in wheelchairs
About artists
PME-ART—which refers, among other things, to Pretty Much Everything—is a loosely defined Montréal-based interdisciplinary group. Through explorations and innovations over the last twenty plus years, we have consistently partnered with other artists to devise new collaborative projects, giving rise to unusual performances that combine theatre, music, literature, visual art, poetry, and philosophy, based on both theoretical and practical research.
Full of paradoxes and contradictions, the work is often destabilizing. Such destabilization is not only about art; it echoes the social and personal discomfort so often encountered in daily life. We believe acknowledging uncomfortable realities (instead of pretending they are not there) is of fundamental importance to developing generous and unpredictable critical approaches.
Since 1998, our creations have been presented in various venues and festivals, in more than fifty-five cities in Québec, Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States. PME-ART was nominated for the Conseil des arts de Montréal’s 27th Grand Prix. Like all of PME-ART’s highly collaborative work, this project will be led by Jacob Wren.
Cast
Creation, Performance and Installation: Laila Burāne, Kristīne Želve, Vents Vīnbergs, Maija Graudina, Baiba Baikovska, Mygluojs, Inga Žolude, Marija Luīze Meļķe, Lolita Tomsone, Rūta Dišlere
A Concept by: PME-ART (Montréal)
Created by: Burcu Emeç, Claudia Fancello, Marie Claire Forté, Nadège Grebmeier Forget, Adam Kinner, Catherine Lalonde, Ashlea Watkin, Jacob Wren
Artistic contribution by: Julie Bernier, Anick Martel, Étienne Provencher-Rousseau
A Production by: Festival Homo Novus (Riga)
Original versions were co-produced by: Festival TransAmériques, Galerie Leonard & Bina Ellen (Montréal), with the support of Canada Council for the arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal and Embassy of Canada to Latvia
from 31 of August until 7 of September (closed on Monday)
11:00-16:00
Free
Language
Latvian
Durational performance / installation
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