(Im)potencia
Documentary performance, Sophiensäle and Oslo, 2010
‘In 2001 all my dreams burst.’ Kiosk assistant Che, Buenos Aires
(Im)potencia is a documentary theatre play on the borderline of installation art and theatre. It deals with the loss of identity of the people in Buenos Aires after the complete economic crash in 2001. Like no other place, Buenos Aires represents the fragile balance between individual life plans and their dependence on global economic systems. Over night thousands of people lost their savings, perspectives and self-perception. Consequently fear and uncertainty have been manifested in biographies, architecture and daily life.
What happens to people in an economic crisis? If the only certainty is that you cannot rely on anything, what does one dream of? ‘(Im)potencia’ wants to raise awareness around the fragility of our economical systems and encourage audiences to consider how they would deal with sudden loss.
The base of the performances are interviews, personal notes, video streams and objets trouvés that have been gathered in Buenos Aires as a subjective-documentary description of everyday life in the post crisis of the metropolis. Urban culture from the so-called first and third world function as a two-way distorting mirror for transformation processes within society. The production was staged with Argentinian performers currently living in Europe, who have personally experienced the collapse.
The production was co-produced with the Sophiensaelen (Berlin), performed at the Marstrand Festival in Black Box (Oslo) and Teatro del Sur (Bueno Aires).
Introduction: Veronika Susanne Bökelmann and Anett Vietzke. Performers: Tamara Saphier, Juliana Piquero og N.N. Dramaturgical consultant: Camilla Eeg. Stage design: Annesofie Norn. Music and sound design: Timo Kreuser. Artistic and tecnical lead: Kerstin Ergenzinger. Producer Buenos Aires: Paula Baró and Martin Fernandez. Producer Berlin: Hendrik Unger. Supported by: Hauptstadtkulturfond 2010 (Berlin), Fritt Ord, Norsk Kulturråd og Goethe Institut.