MELTING
Do you know how many times you can fly to Thailand before the end of the world? Or how much CO2 it costs to make a theatre performance?
Karl Marx, 150 years ago, famously described the consequences of capitalism as «All that is solid melts into air». But even Marx could not predict that today, even the ice is melting.
After Economic Theory for Dummies (2013) – which examines our current economic system, its background, development and function – Amund Sjølie Sveen is now back with MELTING, moving further into the climate problem, the last 30 years of aggressive, deregulated finance capitalism, and our possible common future:
What happens when ice melts?
What happens when economies melt?
What happens when society, welfare, social relations, public art funding and human future melt?
“Even though the message might be discouraging, Sveen keeps the spirits up through a charming and humorous tone, granting the audience space to contemplate the message during the musical parts, enhanced by the slow rotation of the large mobile canvas.” (review, Scenekunst.no, Venke Marie Sortland, 27.10.2016)
MELTING is three things at the same time; it's a lecture, it's a concert and it's theatre. MELTING is political analysis, fragile music played on wine glasses, and a slowly rotating canvas that fills the space with its poetic weightlessness.
MELTING has the ambition to both enlighten and give space for contemplating your own life and choices; the small human and the big system. Whether you leave it calm or impatient when it comes to humankind's common future, you have hopefully become a bit wiser.
MELTING is a collaboration with installation artist Lawrence Malstaf (BE), and the musicians of Slagr.
MELTING trailer from Amund Sveen on Vimeo.
Concept, text, visuals, directed by:
Amund Sjølie Sveen
Music:
Music by Anne Hytta and Slagr, performed by Slagr: Anne Hytta (hardanger fiddle), Katrine Schiøtt (cello), Amund Sjølie Sveen (vibraphone / tuned glasses)
Installation / lights:
Lawrence Malstaf
Dramaturgy:
Gry Ulfeng
Supported by:
Arts Council Norway, Freedom of Expression Foundation, Dramatikkens hus (Norwegian Center for New Playwriting)
Co-produced by:
BIT Teatergarasjen (NO)
Language:
English or Norwegian version
Performances:
BIT Bergen (NO) premiér, April 22, 2016
Fjaler Teaterfestival (NO), Sept 18, 2016
Grand Theatre Groningen (NL), Jan 23, 2017
Showbox festival at Black Box theatre, Oslo (NO), Nov 2017
Press:
Review, Scenekunst.no (27.10.2016)
Video: