the project
as in Europe
The project is a project that wants Europe.
An Europe that already exists and which, at the same time, still needs to be built: an Europe that’s more united, so united that it can go beyond the concept of nation, a more open Europe, so open that it can go beyond the concept of the West, and become an Afro-Asian Europe.
“In the name of simple men which poverty has kept pure. In the name of the grace of the dark ages. In the name of the scandalous revolutionary force of the past.”
(Pier Paolo Pasolini, The Walls of Sana'a)
as in Eskandar
The cornerstone of the project is On the Paths of Europe, a performance based on the encounter between Mattia Cason and Muhammad 'Abd al-Mun’im. Mattia is an European man on the tracks of Alexander the Great - symbol of Europe's contradictory relationship with the rest of the world, who was always shifting between the desire for conquest and the curiosity towards what differs from you. Muhammad 'Abd al-Mun’im is a Syrian poet who fled Aleppo following the recent civil war.
Through the use of theatre, dance and cinema, and adopting a marked multilingualism, the performance mixes different temporal layers: from present-day to ancient history, the eternal presence of myth from the past century up to contemporary times, in an effort to open a discussion on the centrality of migrations in the history of Europe with the audience. Above all, it wants to share the need to see contemporary migrations as the key to a more united Europe, a more Afroasiatic Europe, a more European Europe.
The performance rotates around the marginal condition of a migrant such as Muhammad and, at the same time, on the relevance of the message of his poetry for an European audience. The idea is to bring the performance to 27 equally marginal places in an attempt to reveal their great significance not only for the history of Europe, but also, and most importantly, for a contemporary reestablishment of the European project: Europe can and must happen here, on the margins, here where Alexander finally became Eskandar.
as in Explorations
To explore Europe by walking, and while walking, opening up the body to the world and the landscapes that surround it. Where does one end and the other begin? Where does Europe end and Elsewhere begin?
Guided by theologians, historians, forest rangers and fishermen, we will walk from Carinthia to the Absirtides in search of Europe. Every step of the way we will have the opportunity to get to know the shapes, the depths and the enchantments of the various places we will cross with our body - a body that walks and sees, listens, touches, tastes, smells. A body that continuously creates and recreates a sense between things, between our different selves, between ourself and others, suggesting and understanding that this fortunate self is nothing other than relationships.
We have divided the zone of the Italian-Slovenian border into five areas:
1. the Carinthian area
2. the upper Isonzo valley
3. Gorizia and its surrounding area
4. Aquileia, the Friulian lowlands and the Karst
5. Trieste, Istria and the islands
Each of these areas will host five or six events, including one special event, for a total of 27 events.
The events will consist of a guided walk, giving participants the chance to learn more about the surrounding environment and local history, followed by the performance.
The special events, in addition to the guided walk, will also include a talk with experts from different disciplines dedicated to the topic of margin and marginality. The performance will take place at the end of the talk.
Depending on the location where a specific event takes place, they will either be in Italian, Friulian, Slovenian, German or Croatian.
The twenty-seven places that host the events have been chosen on the basis of five themes which form an imaginary five-pointed star, just like the one of the Yugoslav partisans, but also like the polar star, the Phoenician star, the star of Europe. The themes are: bodies of water, borders, conflicts, traditions and estrangements. During each event, the history of the location where it takes place will be narrated and multiple references will be suggested between local tales and the stories of migrants from yesterday and today, in an attempt to disclose how the arrival of new migrants today is nothing but a return home, not only limited to them, but also and above all, to us.
as in dialog on Europe
Creating Europe, together.
Exploring it, imagining it, talking about it together.
The real objective of this project, even more than the performance itself, is precisely this: making Europe together.
This is why at the end of each show we invite anyone who wants to, to stop and have a chat with us. After the performance we will give everyone a postcard, so that you can write an impression - not so much about the performance or the event, but on Europa/Europe, whatever this woman, this word, this magnificent idea means to you.
Mine, yours, his, hers, our opinion, to share a dialog made up of bodies, of imagination, of joy.