Friday, September 13th; 20.00 h; Cultural Centre Travno venue; 60 minutes; 16+; in Slovenian with subtitles in English
What is the inner force that we call life? What is life like? How to understand the phenomenon and way of existence and its opposite—death? And finally, what does it mean to take this life away? In the Victorian era, taxidermy—the art of preserving animals’ bodies—gained popularity mainly as a peculiarity and a symbol of prestige or as a trendy decor for high society disguised as science. Up to today, this form of art has developed different expressions reaching beyond its original purpose, which was to depict nature in its naturalistic dimension. Taxidermy may serve as a metaphor for the love of nature. But it may as well serve as a metaphor for social hypocrisy and the anthropocentric exploitation of nature. Taxidermy shows the thin line between respect and worship, and exploitation and objectification. It does this through the prism of taking ownership of death and life. The unfolding of such radical themes required radical performance approaches that pull back the curtains and expose the theme. These processes may raise deep emotional, ethical, and philosophical questions with the audience. The performance Still Life: Nine Attempts to Preserve Life demonstrates taxidermy and the idea of preserving life and tests them by potentiating them. It creates the illusion of life, where there is no life. It uses the essence of the puppet medium: to animate the inanimate. The animation in Still Life reaches into real life: the animated entity is a creature that once lived and was killed by humans.
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre in cooproduction with Flota, zavod, Murska Sobota and Flota, Ljubljana
LJUBLJANA PUPPET THEATRE, REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre is the principal Slovenian puppet theatre, hosting puppet shows and drama performances for children, youth and adults. The theatre, which operates in six venues, also boasts two festivals, taking place every two years (in alternation). One of the theatre’s crucial activities is also attending to the preservation of the rich Slovenian puppetry legacy.
