Silver Lion 2015
Venice Biennale
Silver Lion 2015
Venice Biennale
On August 3, 2015, Agrupación Señor Serrano’s work was awarded the Silver Lion for innovation in theatre of the Venice Biennale in a ceremony held at the Palazzo Ca’ Giustinian. We are very proud of the prize and we believe that it is not entirely undeserved. However, not everyone thinks the same. It is fair to bring here the voices of dissent:
“The only real disappointment of the festival was Agrupación Señor Serrano to which this year was awarded the Silver Lion for innovation in theatre (we can’t see the possible reason for that): smart asses and malicious they presented a show in which the chase of American Indians, the hunting of Moby Dick and the capture of Bin Laden were put on the same plane. On stage, some platforms, a series of scale models of Bin Laden’s house in Pakistan, plastic action figures and miniature planes: and a camera amplifying all this on a large screen, as we have already seen in many shows. Where was all this going? I don’t know, from an ideological and political point of view, unless they pretended to trivially show the interweaving of fiction and reality. How original!”
Anna Bandettini, La Repubblica (16/08/2015).
Premiered on 22.11.2008 at L’Estruch de Sabadell.
The project Contra.Natura brings up a reflection on the dramatic essence of the connection between the cultural creation –ephemeral, fleeting, fragile– and the action of nature –infinite, perennial, omnipresent–; between the vulnerable and futile quality of the human condition and the ubiquity of nature taken as a whole.
Performed by an actor and a dancer, Contra.Natura is a multidisciplinary play that, taking as a basis the language of the physical and the visual theatre, integrates elements from other art disciplines, such as dance, performance, and art installation. Using real-time video and audio effects, and giving prominence to the interaction of the performers and the stage through multimedia applications, Contra.Natura articulates a dramaturgic structure of powerful conceptual content and intense poetic force.
Nature, the Whole, is imposing, unyielding, changing, indifferent; it does not act according to any plan, it simply develops as a balance of forces. We, an only and bastard product of that Whole, have built our identity as species through a constant opposition to these overwhelming forces by means of a resolute creative/cultural action. Thus, we try to overcome our anxiety in the face of the erasing power of Nature through a persistent fight against oblivion, against extinction. And we label, classify, mummify, can. But all efforts are pointless –we know–, the battle is lost –we know–, because one day there will be nothing left of us. We will again be a speck of dust in a cosmos that overwhelms us. And that pisses us off. That we cannot stand it. Something must be done against that. Even if it is kicking the shit out of Nature, giving that swine what it serves it right, giving it the wallop out of helplessness; even if it is just to let off steam.
Direction: Alex Serrano / Dramaturgy: Pau Palacios and Alex Serrano / Performers and Creation Collaborators: Ester Forment and Diego Anido / Choregraphy: Ester Forment / Assistant Director – Production: Barbara Bloin / Lighting Design – Costumes: Isabel Franco / Interactive Video Application: Martí Sánchez Fibla / Videos: Josep Maria Marimon / Music: Sebastian García Ferro / Project Consultants: Víctor Molina and Roberto Fratini.
Festival TNT – Terrassa Noves Tendències and Agrupación Señor Serrano.
Departament de Cultura i Mitjans de Comunicació de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Festival PNRM d’Olot, L’Estruch de Sabadell and III Encuentros Magalia.
Prize Projectes d’Arts Escèniques, Lleida 2007.