NELI POULOPOULOU
Human zoos/The being
Contributors
Research/Text/Direction: Nelli Poulopoulou
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Musical composition: Vali Ioannou
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Dramaturgy: Anna Tzakou
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Choreography editing: Natassa Aretha
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Stage design - Costumes: Giannis Giannoulis, Konstantinos Gougounis
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Video editing/light disigner: Thanos Tsakonas
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Contact manager: Giota Dimitriadi
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Performers: Vali Ioannou, Nelli Poulopoulou
Production: NV Sisterhood- Quilombo Lab 2017-2018 Open Studio Galery/KET/Pocket Theater festival
"A unit cannot be just one thing only. A unit is many, it's all the things that make it up"
"Human Zoos" is a trilogy of performances as a result of the research process (theoretical and practical) that began in 2014 entitled "Shake the datas". Its aim is to highlight anthropological, social, philosophical, and political issues through the performing arts. "The being" is the last part of the trilogy.
The research asked the following questions: What would happen if we moved our personal and social data, the unshakable beliefs that shape the personality and society? Why do we continue to accept unjust facts and oppressive perceptions? Why do we act as if we have not accepted the mistakes of the past? In what ways and what movements can there be balance and harmony in the individual and societies?
The performances were inspired by the ethnological exhibitions or "Negro Villages" that took place in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. "The being" is the last part of the trilogy A woman is treated as the perfect example of avoidance. The anatomy of his errors is exposed in careful study. The performance is based on autobiographical and philosophical texts of the performer.
The performance focuses on the fear of otherness as the backbone on which personal and social mechanisms of behavior are built. It is a deep dive in to the body-mind relationship. It penetrates the personal data created by political and social conditions and examines where free will is and if it exists
Perfectionism, the pursuit of knowledge as profit, the purpose of being better and better, the fear of mistake, are some of the characteristics of a person who makes desperate efforts to belong to the whole, a very important feeling of his existence. The life of a real "being" and especially its flaws are exposed to public view. The nature of this report is self-canceling. We consider the need for repair as a need of human to want to avoid himself in order to find another better one, close to the standards of the imposed values. This constant come and go between cause and result and the pursuit of an ideal self is the central theme of the performance.
