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'Lightfalls'
A Found Space project. Collaboration with Christina Godelmann. Guidance from Marsha Ginsberg and supported by the Technische Universitaet Berlin, Buehnenbild_Szenischer Raum. Scene Design, Sound design/costume design/Concept by Karola Lüttringhaus and Christina Godelmann. Performance: Karola Lüttringhaus Photo above by Melanie Walter. |
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About the work:
Lightfalls is a performance installation inspired by Samuel Beckett's 1976 play 'Footfalls'.
We translated the stationary situation of the main character onto a linear path that would particularly speak of the linearity of time, of passing and forgetting. We desired to create a sacral space that is reminiscent of the religous/moral entanglements we believe the character goes through. The audience is active, can walk around a slowly evolving scene, at a faster speed, separating emotional and material reality. We recorded stretches of conversation between the main character and her mother, and played a collage of sounds, ext and effects from multiple sources at specific times throughout the performance.
We placed our performance in a dilapidated basement, seemingly forgotten and never at looked at through the eyes of art. IT is a 200foot long space with a cross-like heartpiece where the ceiling and floor are at their closest point, so the audience has to duck a little. The space allowed for Beckett's
instructions for May to 'feel cold' to transpose directly into a physical experience for the audience members. 100 tealights are lit in a row in a 200foot line. The audience starts at one end, following sound and the performer begins her unrelentless path at the other end, meeting them at the cross-point, extinguishing the candles one after the other until the space is in complete darkness. The sound carries on for a bit longer and the performer disappears.
A fleeting experience, meditative and haunting.
The costume for the single actor is made of mismatched white clothes, some skirts used as shawl, pants as shirt, etc. This mismatching is only noticed at a closer look. Her inability to 'dress properly' however, doesnot suggest insanity, but merely disregard.
Lightfalls is a performance installation inspired by Samuel Beckett's 1976 play 'Footfalls'.
We translated the stationary situation of the main character onto a linear path that would particularly speak of the linearity of time, of passing and forgetting. We desired to create a sacral space that is reminiscent of the religous/moral entanglements we believe the character goes through. The audience is active, can walk around a slowly evolving scene, at a faster speed, separating emotional and material reality. We recorded stretches of conversation between the main character and her mother, and played a collage of sounds, ext and effects from multiple sources at specific times throughout the performance.
We placed our performance in a dilapidated basement, seemingly forgotten and never at looked at through the eyes of art. IT is a 200foot long space with a cross-like heartpiece where the ceiling and floor are at their closest point, so the audience has to duck a little. The space allowed for Beckett's
instructions for May to 'feel cold' to transpose directly into a physical experience for the audience members. 100 tealights are lit in a row in a 200foot line. The audience starts at one end, following sound and the performer begins her unrelentless path at the other end, meeting them at the cross-point, extinguishing the candles one after the other until the space is in complete darkness. The sound carries on for a bit longer and the performer disappears.
A fleeting experience, meditative and haunting.
The costume for the single actor is made of mismatched white clothes, some skirts used as shawl, pants as shirt, etc. This mismatching is only noticed at a closer look. Her inability to 'dress properly' however, doesnot suggest insanity, but merely disregard.
