IN SEARCH OF THE CITY
The performance “In the Search of the City” questions the ‘invisible walls’ of hidden, often taboo histories contained in our city. The hidden history of our city manifests itself through the lack of clear information about what happened at certain places- what was the initial purpose of certain buildings in Belgrade, what is the real story of buildings that still exist but with a ‘new function,’ and what will become of buildings that once stood but exist now only in memory? [2007]
Creating a theatrical play right on the ruins of the library on Kosančićev venac, our idea is to shed light on the “hidden walls”, that is, to the hidden history of our city. The story of the bombed library is also a story about erasing the memory of a nation, as well as breaking the connection with the universal spiritual values that make up every library.
With this play, our wish is to re-establish a broken thread of memory as well as broken connections with the world. The hero of all wars, Marco Polo, Heidi and many other characters from this play will deconstruct the past on the ruins
of the present.
Ruins also carry another aspect – in addition to the destructive ones, ruins also represent memory, the core of a certain idea, an imaginary space for projecting visions and desires. “If there is anything more beautiful than a beautiful thing, it is its ruin”- said the famous French painter Pierre Puvis de Chavvannes.
This project was a collaboration between DAH Theater and the Fragment Theater from Switzerland.
Performers: Jugoslav Hadžić, Barbara Keller, Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, Ivana Milenović, Lidija Milić, Maja Mitić, Natalie Müller, Donka Torov, Kristin Vodusek, Mirjana Vuković
Music composed and performed by: Aleksandra Damnjanović, Nebojša Ignjatović, Jugoslav Hadžić, Dragan Simeunović
Direction and dramaturgy: Dijana Milošević
Co-director and assistant: Olivier Bachmann
Assistant dramaturgy: Patrick Bachmann
Scenography: Neša Paripović
Costumes: Milena Ristić and DAH Theater
Organization: Kristina Mlađenović and Suzana Tasić Anović
DAH Theater thanks:
The National Library of Serbia, Cultural Heritage Preservation Institute of Belgrade, JKP “Zelenilo – Beograd”, JP Elektrodistribucija Beograd and the citizens living in Kosančićev venac, Nikola Tasić and family Torov.
Fragment Theater thanks for financial support:
Ernst Goehner Stiftung, Zug (CH)Werkraum Warteck pp, Basel (CH) and Murielle Bachmann, Philipp Berweger, Jonas Schudel, Patrick Zemp
REALIZATION SUPPORTED BY:
