Gdansk – Polónia

13th of April 2007
Town Hall of the old city

Part of institutional favors, thankfulness and so forth… I was advised to take the platform to the gardens in the surroundings of the old city hall. I was drove there, the other walked, for the box took all the back seats space.

Malgorzata, Carolina, Pavel, Dan, Rafael…

It was to be used as advertising opportunity for the show to open on that afternoon: Last news at Laznia contemporary art center.
So all the wrong reasons to be there, thanking the local council and advertise the show. But I like to go with the flow with these things. Let’s do it and see how we progress. Trying to relax my partners in the action, and lowering as well their expectation. If people are not engaging in playing is also ok, I told them.

Unfolding the box and the girls were busy with giving away flyers. I sat a bit further away with the guys. After one moment I had to ask the girls to do the same, step aside, things go better with the theatre when it stands by itself.

After realizing that not so many people are using that garden as a passing route we took it, finally, to its natural environment… the shopping streets, those streets crowded with people, tourists. So we went to Dluga… just across the local symbol, Neptune fountain and the actual Town Hall.

Being the characters: Bush, Putin, Lech Kaczynski Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Ujazdowsky(Minister of Culture), Benedict XIV, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (President of Iran) and Pawel Adamowicz (mayor of Gdansk)

No one apart form my team of helpers engaged in the play. But again part of the whole issue is the possibility given to passers-by to engage in the world theatre by mastering the masters of the world, rime ministers, presidents, but no engaging does not mean that people won’t get the message.

Let me clarify. I image myself. It would had to be a great day, when I would be in a good mood, with time and accompanied with friends, to engage myself in manipulating hand puppets in a public square. I should add that I am not a shy person and am able to jump out of anonymity into play, but not so many of us are. To this let’s add that these are the masters of our culture, local culture, tough, no?

Still the turns on peoples heads, the smiles, the nods. I love them. I imagine that they fantasize of jumping into the play, or they walk away imagining what they would have said if they were to speak in the name of the prime minister.


The day after we set the theatre outside LAZNIA. Once again I was suspicious about the spot chosen. The platform was not designed for children, they were never the audience I wanted to address, and the users of the neighborhood of the former city baths are children. What do children know about the world politics, aren’t they just mirroring adult conversations and speeches from TV? Suddenly this was all very interesting, it can be seen what adults think about politicians by the hands and mouths of children. And sure it was great fun, in the end children were paying for us, and adults playing for children. At this moment Mikolaj, a local artist was a tremendous helper, for he was mediating between children, passersby and platform always motivating everyone around.
posted by carla at 10:54 AM

1 June 2003
Geneva

Today I woke up, tired already, after 6 hours sleep, on a taekendo matress, or something similar, and a heavy day.
Had breakfast outdoors on the side of the 'Usine', with the group Indymedia Barcelona. Super nice, and we headed to Le jardin Anglais. Meeting point for the demonstration, at 10.00.

The aim was to reach the boarder with france, and meet there the frensh group. It was a super peaceful and colorful demonstration ( after the small riot like events, scatter all over the city centre). We joined most of the time the swiss comunist party, because they had the best mood and songs, and just went through it to have a felling of the groups. When the boarder was reached we wait to see the all demonstration passed, and to have a rest, and a bit of shadow.

On our way back, I saw a van selling the new 'Meca Cola', the alternative Cola, or a 'Cola engage', how is promoted here. Almost reaching the city centre we got in our first confrontation with the intervention police, due to a group that was trying to cause some problem and forced the police to move further and gain some terrain.

We decided to keep it cool and went back to Forde. Had some bread with honey and Banana, and rest for a while. but It is to much going on to be seated still. I went for a recognition tour to see where i could take ACT 2 out today. Soon I realised that the whole city is under pressure, and there's police everywhere and confrontations. Not a good idea to make it today. So I just stayed to witness the confrontations, as I suppose 80% of the people there, or they were tourists or journalists. Actually just a few trouble makers. But the gathering in itself makes the confusion looks bigger.

At one point the city centre, the commercial street where I took the theatre out yesterday was half blocked, and the Police after a few attempts to disperse the crow, change strategy, surrounds the group and charged it, making us run almost one kilometer. And actually in the direction of the usine building, I got there, meet some friends had a relaxed time. The riots where closing on us, and suddentely the police was everywhere blocking streets. In the other side of the building the riots kept going, and for an hour, we had dinner under police surveillance, but things were still relaxed, under surveillance but felling that it would be over soon. Then at one moment a guy appear in on window screaming something. And a group of men, dressed like demonstrators but with orange badges on their arms, reading police, armed with bats, charged on the people seated on the tables, and pushed a group inside the building barricating themselves with them in it. At this time i don't know how i was lucky enough not to get beaten, and get behind the police barricade, allowed to escape. - I guess i don't look punk enough, plus I am a girl.

After that it was a mess in the Usine building, and around it, people got arrested, everything was searched, the media came, tear gas was released. A few hours under siege.

I gave a few interviews, as a eye witness, tried to understand what happen to the people with whom I was eating, and were forced into the building.

When all was done, we were in the building again, safe and sound. I decided to go out again to see how the rest of the riots were doing, but after so much running in front of the police, twice trying tear gas, seeing people get hit by rubber bullets, When I was again in the middle of the situation, seeing the tear gas capsules falling just beside me, I head back, thinking, that this is getting to crazy and I will end up hurt or arrested. But anyway it is strange to fallow this events, to be on the hedge of nothing bad can happen really, and excitement for actually living the riots so closely. being a riot tourist was mainly the felling on this G8, art, rasta and camara summit.

Best Carla.
posted by carla at 1:03 AM

31 of may 2003
Rue de Rive Geneva, Switzerland from 14.45 to 17.00
team - video operator, Patrick and swiss reporter

I am in Geneva, since 11 this morning, for the G8 and art and activism summit.
I was invited precisely because of my experiments with the puppet theatre-like platform ACT 2. To see if it could be relevant in a demonstration like atmosphere.

The first plan was to start tomorrow, as everyone else involved, and also the demonstrations. So this afternoon I decided just to go around the city for a recognition tour. To see what could be the right spot for the action. I was looking for the commercial areas of geneva. To stir up my favorite audience, city dwellers on a shopping mission.

And it is summer time in Geneva, everyone is out, even if the city is half desert, because of the expected demonstrations, and probable riots, half the shops are also bordered up with wood.

So I was going for a walk, just as one of this demonstrations tourists, looking at the grafittis on the new wooded walls, taking a few pictures, enjoying the weather, when, walking down one of this commercial streets that are just the same in every big city in europe that i realised that i had to take Act2 out today. Tomorrow the city will be under heavy policial control, and blocs and demonstrations will pop up everywhere, And this is not the perfect situation for Act2. Today was the perfect day, people are in a sort of expectation atmosphere, there,re a lot of people that cam just for the demonstrations, but the atmosphere is totally relaxed. people are not expecting so many things going on today, and i can still provoke those i mostly want, the shoppers.

I run back to the SOIA headquarters- la Usine- totally decided, its has to be today! got the crew together, which means Patrick, a guy from SOIA that would come and report the event. And on the mean time a journalist form the Swiss television, doing a documentary on the summit decided to join.

We headed to the city centre, taking with us the G8 delegation inside the box: Blair, Bush, Chretien, Berlusconi, Chirac, schroder, Prodi, Koizumi and Putin. found the perfect spot, a small square with a fountain in the half boarded up, but still busy commercial street rive. A bit of performative show off - the video maker, first set the tripod, the frame is decided, and then i came in and open up the box. At this time the TV reporter is also following all my moves. the three of us back from it. And it just starts immediately. people stop, and pick the puppets and play, again and again. Of course there's a special atmosphere in the city, almost festive like, of something that is about to happen, there's a bit of adrenaline in the air.

I wondered if all this people came to demonstrate against the globalization or actually came to see a city under siege?

Wonderful to see it being used do quickly, causing such a big interest, the three of us were quite amazed, and surprised my swiss hosts, that argue that swiss people are usually more reserved, which say's a lot for the atmosphere or the number of foreigns in the city.

We film, photographed the play, I gave an interview to the Reporter, and we could not stop being amazed by the interest it aroused. Mostly the number of people that stopped and photographed the puppet theatre -or better the characters. And i mean really a huge amount, like 70% of all the passers-by (actually quite striking also the amount of people carrying a camera). The whole G8 theatre stars. I suppose as a souvenier.

In the mean time, my team went back to base, but I decided to stay, after all it was such a nice day, and people were enjoying it really! So I sat in the sun, and kept amazed and amused by the reports, today everyone is a reporter of my platform!
Moved away from the sun, already feeling my arms quite burned. Sat next to fountain, saved a young sparrow of drowning, kept watching the performers and reporters. enjoyed the fact of not being recognized as the responsible, and that actually most of the people wasn't looking for one.

After a couple of hours, I felt it was time to wrap it up, and when I was about to leave, a group of boys inquired me about the structure, what was it, and what was meant for. ( as usual, when I am there there's so many questions about the reasons) and 2 boys, sweating exclaimed - "Oh! no are you leaving we came on porpose to play", they had meet some friends that told them about it. I decided to open it again: to show the 3 guys how it works, and let the 2 swiss boys play. And they put up quite a show, more than 20 people gather to watch and even clap in the end.

This is what Act 2 got from a demonstrating atmosphere.
And I had a nice time in my first time in the city of the water jet.
posted by carla at 5:09 PM

4th May 2003 - Sunday
Noordplein
15.30 to 16.30
team Daniela

For today I had an appointment with Daniela, that is been working with a street in the north of Rotterdam, the Zwaanshals, doing several art projects and interventions with and for the inhabitants and users of that street. She invited me to come one day and bring my puppet theatre and since I haven’t been in the north with it, I was quite excited with the idea.
We both new that the best day would be a shopping day, which means a Friday or Saturday, but the weather hasn’t been helping, and we wanted to be a nice event for everyone.
For a week it was been either raining or extremely windy, which got us to Sunday with no possibilities, but since it was almost summer temperature today, we expected a lot of people just walking around, and we decided to meet at the Noordplein at 15.00

I took the tram, to the north, and for my surprise a circus was installed in the middle of the square, nice! Waited for Daniela that came with 2 friends and we went to check the Zwaanshals street and see how was the movement. With all the commerce closed nobody was around, thus we decided to put it in the Noordplein , in front of a few benches where almost 15 people were seated. Because of the wind, I knew what to expect, stand next to the structure to prevent it from falling and I have a few talks with passers-by.

Daniela brought, as we agreed before, her video camera, so today was the first time we recorded motion images of the event. I was always reluctant to do so, because I thought it would work as a double effect, to participate in this structure is already to be under a “spot light”, to play and be filmed is double exposure. But yet, I decided to have the proof.

We opened the structure, and all the skating, cycling running kids came and gather around with immense questions, and wanting to play. I discovered today, that even that I always had a lot of kids interested in engaging they didn’t do it so much, because they don’t speak English, and my Dutch is not enough to inform and keep them interested, but today, with Daniela there mediating this talks, and interact as an audience the kids played for a long time, answering back her questions. Adults stopped to watch the play, but when there children already playing, they wouldn’t think on playing, because it’s a kids game. Anyway, we manage to gather a group of people discussion about the platform, the puppets, the reason. The filming was taken quite naturally from the children’s part, also because they are hidden by the structure, so in a way not so aware of a camera or audience.

People were quite curious though, even if just a small amount of people passed by. One men at one point thought I was somehow connected to the circus next to us, and wonder how we would justify it to the police if they asked what we were doing there. After asked if he could keep Bin Laden’s puppet figure, as I answers not, he was satisfied with a picture of him holding one of the most ‘wanted’ man in the world.

After trying hard to keep the show on, it was evident that it would be any better, or useful to anyone actually, we decided to move it further to the street, or just spot in front of a terrace and ask the costumers if they would like to play, nobody did. Obviously in such a sunny day, everyone is just out shopping in the center, or in a park. We consider going to one, but the day was to experience the north, and it went as it did, the park will be for a next day, I guess. Not so sure, because the war issue is over and the platform used to star the :lords of the war” as become obsolete, time to move to another issue, and find new ways of discussing the aftermath of all this. Has one of the kids stated today- speaking for Balkende – Alle mensen, women, mothers fathers, brothers and sons are dead – alle mensens zijn dood in Baghdad!

posted by carla at 6:47 PM

30 April 2003
Queen’s day – Eendrachtsplein 12.00- 14-00

It is queen’s day in the Netherlands, the birth date of the queen –symbolically- a holiday and tax-free day. In the sense that people can organize and sell whatever they want in the street without the need for a permission. It is actually the day of the people. I woke up pretty early, considering queens night eve’s party, to be out with the platform in the city, around eleven. But it threatens to rain. I cycle a bit around and was completely amazed. It is my first queens day, I have been hearing a lot about it, but never thought it would be so extreme. There were hundreds of people putting outside, tables, cloths and boxes full of things from their houses to sell, and hundreds more browsing through looking for bargains. All the main streets were closed to traffic and in every corner there was a mobile snack bar, an incredible festival atmosphere, even with this awful weather.
I decided to wait a bit longer to see hot it would develop, it was grey but still dry. So at 12.00 I headed to the Binnenwegplein, to maintain a sort of tradition. But as lately I couldn’t stay there, this time because it was already taken by the evangelists, that put up a huge stage and sort of booths and megaphones.
Therefore I went to the Eendrachtsplein, put the structure up, and let the show begin. I was already thinking, if people would have a totally different behavior because they would be in a festive mood, or not since this is also a day where everything is done in exchange of a small coin and they could read this platform as just another mean to make some extra money. An the weather of course did not help, considering that not even 10 minutes after the box was open a thunderstorm felled over the city, and it rained heavily for half an hour, and kept dripping for almost one. By then I just placed the boxed against a shopping window covered from the rain and waited. Even there, people were aware of the structure, and looked curious, obviously because of the characters portrayed, Saddam, Bush, Blair and Balkende. So a lot of smiles, and comments going on. Peter showed up to see how things were doing, and around 1 it was dry again, so I placed it back in the middle of the square. Then people stopped and touched the puppets, giggled, talked, about it while walking away, but today on the queen’s day, the most participatory day of all days, a day to reclaim the streets nobody played. I was expecting a lot more from the passers-by but also from the all event, it was crowded but not so intense, I guess the rain was completely against us today. But I wasn’t disappointed to see people used it more actively on regular days.
In the meantime - leaving the structure a bit by it self since I regained the confidence to do so – I visited two friends that where close by with a kissing booth, exchanging kisses for 1 Euro, and taking pictures with the participants, also not so many because of the rain. I decided then to took the structure next to them, so we could support each other. Run back with Peter, and we both carry it to the next street. Westersingel. We got a lot of attention, and played a lot with the passers-by about both structures, and for sure there was a lot of talking about those, but the rain keep coming, and it was again to much to endure.

I was proud of being a Rotterdamer today, what we manage to put outside and even with this terrible weather for street events, masses of people joined. This is something that I also strive with my work, participation and spontaneous action. That we could make of everyday a bit more like queen’s day. Off course not the appearance, the festivity only, but the willing to be an actor, finding new economic systems, different ways of communicating and behaving in public space.

At 14.00 I closed the box, that could have been in its natural environment wasn’t for the weather, and the necessity of having a clear area around it, and to be left alone, and not under some improvised tent., and ended it for the day. Today it had company ridding back to its head quarters, the kissing booth, that are both stationed in my studio. And the stage directors went to mingle in the crowd.






posted by carla at 7:23 PM

Report of ACT2 on Friday 25 April 2003
Place: Between Donner and H&M

The reason why I wanted to cooperate with Carla was in a way very selfish. I was interested in how I would find it to go out with somebody else’s work. Because I don’t have any goals I want to get out or something, I can just do it and see what happens. If I do something with my own work I always have a goal and sometimes I curious how I would analyse if it wasn’t my own work. The place I choose has much to do with the day and the weather. Because it is warm but not sunny it is not really a typical swimming day. Because it is Friday many teenagers are early of and go the shopping center, I thought. And I was curious how they would react. That’s why I choose this spot. First thing was, ok, how must put this thing up? I did it with Carla a long time a go and it took me now quit a while to have straight. Then I sat down and watched, in the first few minutes people where looking at me and then to the puppet theater, but then people didn’t make a connection between the theater and me. I found that comfortable. It was fun to see people stopping and watching. Going on and talking to each other with their hands like in a puppet. People were laughing and watching at the puppet theater. What would they have in their heads? Is that important to me? Isn’t it enough that they see it and make an image in their heads how it would work? Then I couldn’t help thinking about Carla and I decided to stand up and start people asking if they would like to play. One child was interested, but wanted first an Ice cream. The other people I asked all said no, and during this part I found harder and harder to ask people. In a way I asked myself: what will they remember; me or the puppet theater? After a while I got to tired of breaking in peoples private space that I got back to my first spot and went on with just looking and waiting. Again people looked, watched, stopped, laughed, walked away, looked, watched, stopped, laughed, walked away, and so on. But one thing was what stroked me the most, the half of the people who walked away where playing with their hands and talked to their friends in this puppet way. After I while I was beginning to ask myself; isn’t that the same as playing in the theater itself? They use the body language, the voices, and the characters given. This is a strange result, but no, it is not the same, because it is not public, it is in the private surrounding of friends; in a way it was not open for others. Then all of the sudden a group the teenagers came in, exactly the kind I was hoping for (15/16 years old). They began playing for each other for quit a while. The boys for the girls and the girls where giggling like hell. Another thing that was fun to see was the boys where telling each other who was what kind of person, so it worked like a lesson in society. Other people where also looking to the play of the boys and a small audience was then created. When the boys stopped the audience fell apart in people who where going on and people who wanted to see the puppets more closely. After this it was again just looking, watching, stopping and laughing. A little girl and her brother played with saddam and bush, but not for long. The fun thing was that after this the sat next to me. In a way it was great to so how they not made the connection between the puppet theater and me. Again looking, watching, stopping and laughing. And again the wonderful playing with the hands of people, I like that so much. Then suddenly something strange happened. The punkers were running to the theater and played for only half a minute and then went on running. In the first moment I thought that they took the puppets, but that was not what happened. A few seconds later a woman ran next to me screaming: ‘Houd de dief!’ Something like: Stop the thief! The two punk boys stole her purse and where running and laughing. This stroked me very much, not because of the purse, but because an object like this puppet theater easily stopped them but nobody, nobody human stopped the two punk boys. So a puppet theater can, and a person not? I sat there for a while and enjoyed the playing with the hands of people when it again was all relaxing. But, yeah, I just felt that I had to go now. My conclusion of this afternoon is that I didn’t like that I would be in the memory of people when they thought of this little event. I felt it was more sincere to let the puppet theater alone, even if this means that not many people are playing with it. But, by the way, people where playing with it in their own private surrounding of friends. And for me it wasn’t important that that playing was public, their laughs, their thoughts maybe, their hands said enough.

Mirijam


Check out
http://www.anti-anti.net/act2/

Carla.
posted by carla at 2:41 PM

No team 14.40 - 15.50
Characters, Rumsfeld, Bush, Saddam, Balkende and for the first time Gerrit Zalm - head of the VVD, the party that will form the coalition with the CDA for the new government.

Has usual I left from Piet Zwart, today with the idea of staging the structure, alone, for the last time. I head to Binnenwegplein, the selected spot where I go over and over. But when I arrived, a couple, dressed in last century copper coloured outfits were playing "statue" for the by-standers, the patat eaters, sitting on the wooden benches on another shinny "holy" day.
Since I didn't plan to "compete with them, I decided to move to a similar spot, the beginning of the Hoogstraat, another commercial and "promenade" area. Even though, today, monday after Easter, the shops are not open, but the coffee and thee houses, ice-cream shops, and all sort of snack bars are. I placed my interactive puppet theatre in a quiet place, where people pass calmly, and stood there watching. Thinking on the development of the world events. Just a week ago there was still a sort of emergency on going out with the platform to keep the discussion about the war alive, and today it was completely clear the war is over, and somehow people , relieved, don't find anything that bad anymore about the whole issue anymore.

It didn't raise so many reactions today, or as lively, as before, except for a couple of people, and a men that with is car keys crossed over Saddam Hussein image pasted on the box. I stood there, inconspicuous, or trying to, still I was spotted and talked with a homeless men, some others winked an eye at me as to say - "Goed man!" ,saw for the first time the entire structure collapsed on the floor due to the wind, thinking O.K. it's the end of it, but it wasn't the case, it had just a few scratches, which really surprised me, so the show went on.

There's a lot of things that came to my mind during this hour. Why I started this action, for example, the wish to engage people, by actual interaction and manipulation of hand puppets, to raise higher questions about their position in the world: manipulated beings or controllers of their own opinions, desires and destinies. To the development of the war issue and the emergency of giving the platform to raise awareness around how mass media manipulate our opinions, to let it be used and interpreted freely by the participants and passers-by. Or how to continue now, that the feeling of urgency is there again for different reasons, because the war issue seems being putted on our backs as something that had to happen, that had it bad consequences but we should think about the future. And what about the time that millions of people were demonstrating to say that this was not their choice? Can this go on as nothing had happened? I have to redefine the role for this structure for now on, and consider its life time. Something that I always though, it will stop at one point, I though maybe when it became so much part of the city life that it is not a surprise anymore, it does not astonish or alienates anyone. Today I had hint of that possibility when at one point a couple walking around, asked me to take a picture of them next to the structure. I don't know if they were aware of me as the responsible, or if they just though of that spot as the one with the best light, but anyway, this enamoured pair will take home 2 pictures of them standing next to a green wooden box, picturing the political key figures of the moment, both in the world as in the Nederland’s, that until now still function as a open stage.


posted by carla at 3:08 PM