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Joanne Leighton/WLDN: The Graz Vigil
732 people will keep a vigil over Graz during 2020—for one hour at sunrise and one hour at sunset. Then they will note down their thoughts and experiences during these silent hours in the protected platform on Graz’s Schlossberg hill.
The community art project “The Graz Vigil” by Australian/French choreographer Joanne Leighton not only enables local residents to rediscover their city from a different perspective but also to step out of everyday life for an hour and to immerse themselves in a new, wonderful experience of their own environment.
And, by so doing, to find out whether the vigil-keeper is watching the performance of the city or people in the city are watching the performance of the vigil-keepers.
The temporary spatial installation for “The Graz Vigil” is being developed in collaboration with the Institute of Design and Building Typology at Graz University of Technology.
Circa Contemporary Circus: Leviathan
The Australian “Circa Contemporary Circus” is known for intense, large-scale performances. Local protagonists will also be taking part in their guest performance in Graz in 2020.
When the thirty-six artists of the Australian “Circa Contemporary Circus” perform on stage, the audience experience dynamic falls and slow contortions, enormous human pyramids and lyrical soli—in short, an artwork made up of bodies, light, structures and images. The contemporary “Circa” circus is known for intense, large-scale performances, and in the Year of Culture 2020 the members of the troupe won’t be the only performers.
The professional protagonists will be joined by three groups of six local community artists: young people, young acrobats and members of the “Tanz- und Bewegungstheater” in Graz. After six weeks of training, they will join forces to form the body of the Leviathan on stage—that monster of bodies that according to the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) rules the world. And, of course, opera.
Das Dorf
What If …?
How about pretending that Reininghaus is already bustling with life. There would be a village square and the Tennenmälzerei would becom a cultural creative center for four weeks. Open for everybody.
According to the greek artist Danae Theodoridou “What If …?” represents the temporary opening of the listet building of the Tennenmälzerei.
“Das Dorf” is produced in cooperation with the faculty of architecture of the TU GRAZ, built after a modell from Alexander Krischner.
