29.05.22 – 05.06.22: KunstKulturKirche Allerheiligen, Frankfurt
A collaboration with artist Lukas Sünder
The premise of this performance is the radical equation between the Eucharist and
performance art. On two Sunday celebrations and two evening performances, we want to explore the implications of this equation with special attention to the notion of “participation”, a term that rose in popularity in both liturgical and artistic discourse over the past decades. Respecting the eucharistic form and its procedures, we will implement theatrical and choreographic interventions in collaboration with the church community and the celebrating priest to study the audience response and improve the performative and sacramental value of the event.
This project resulted in 4 performances and a research project focusing on the state of the art of liturgical dance, its new perspectives and the documentation of the liturgical experiment performed in this project.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Can the Eucharist be a performance? If so, what is the role of the dancer/artist/choreographer and how does these roles relate to the role of the priest and the assembly.
Can dance and performance increase the “active participation” of the assembly? How does this participation take place?
Can “virtual participation” be studied and can dance make the “vir” – the spirit of the liturgy – visible and approachable/choreographed? How does this theatrical interference enhance the experience of the liturgy
Can the form of the liturgy be enhanced while respecting the content using the arts?
Can the form of the liturgy help us redefine the concept of dance and can it renegotiate the borders between dance as a sacred/secular phenomenon (the concept of sacramentality)?
Eucharist = Performance. We explore the implications of this equation with special attention to the notion of “participation”, a popular term in both performance art and religious ritual. Respecting the eucharistic form, we implement theatrical and choreographic interventions to explore the audience response and improve the performative and sacramental value of the event.
VIDEO TRAILER
PICTURE GALLERY
Artistic Theology Lab 