5 performance:

Work in progress. Fifth trial

Time:

April 23, 2021. Duration: 120 min.

Place:

Haus der Statistik (Berlin, Germany)

Translator:

Anna Limontava

Protocol:

The fifth performance took place in the basement of the Haus der Statistik in Berlin. Some spectators came late and missed the introductory part - there were 10-12 of them, as well as a Russian-German interpreter. In the opening, which lasted for about 20 minutes, the performer brought his audience into the context: the majority of them were from Belarus and knew a lot of it - perhaps, that’s why their reaction was especially vivid. Then he took a position “Kneeling, forehead on the floor,” and stayed in it for one hour. The timer was projected on the side, so the performer couldn’t see the remaining time. During the act, three spectators joined the performer for the first time, the rest could not stand his effort and went out for a smoke break, but most remained from beginning to end. Later on, they were asking questions and discussing what they saw for a long time - the audience was convinced of the importance and necessity to talk about the situation in Belarus.

Quote:

“The audience got involved in my performance for the first time! I was very worried about their safety and emotional state: I tried to engage them in conversation, directed their attention to the distribution of weight in the body, to breathing. The perception of reality was quite strange: the joy of solidarity with me, the importance of the moment, mixed with the awkwardly modified atmosphere around.” – Igor Shugaleev –