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image by

Maaike Lauwaert

(The videos on YouTube documenting the performance are quite worthless.
They don´t translate movements and sound in a way that anybody can grasp Tino Sehgal´s performance in Venice.)


Its the second time that I encounter one of the performances developed by Tino Sehgal.
Both times I was overwhelmed.

At the Documenta in Kassel, last year,

I entered an absolutely dark room, for minutes I didn´t see anything.
Then slowly, my vision adjusted to the lack of light and I discovered people standing,
moving around me, a way of dancing it seemed to be, yes it was dancing, and they were chanting in a repetitive tone,
producing some strange and beautiful tune.

This experience came absolutely unexpected to me,
for I had stumbled into the performance completely unprepared.
First pure darkness, than my vision came back, and I was immersed in a happening that made me feel
like being on a trip into ancient times, when we lived in cages huddled together in the dark,
singing and humming ritual songs against our fears and the darkness surrounding us, and seeking company and consolation in the group.

Now at the Biennale,
two to three performers were interacting to each others sounds and movements.
They payed close attention to each other. Like raindrops falling into a lake, changing it´s calm surface, slightest movements and gestures of the actors led to changes in the behavior of the performing partners, changed the dynamics of the movements and tones.
Sometimes only their hands were dancing.