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).
Production currently on tour.
OLYMPUS is a theatrical series based on a critical and disruptive vision of Greek myths intended exclusively for children. Through a complex, daring and multi-referential look, OLYMPUS proposes various 45-minute volumes staged through a narrator who handles scale models, action figures, various live video cameras and online resources.
Prometheus
The myth tells that Prometheus is punished by Zeus for giving fire to human beings, thus freeing them from their bestiality. An eagle will eternally devour Prometheus’ liver for having disobeyed the boss of Olympus. Although we could say instead that an eagle will eternally devour Prometheus’ liver for having given the human race a second chance with an act of solidarity. Is Prometheus a saboteur who deserves his punishment or someone who puts himself in danger in the first person to rebel against despotic powers pursuing a collective good? How is the original myth related to the reinterpretation made by Mary Shelley through her Dr Frankenstein? Could Julian Assange be a modern-day Prometheus? Greek myths, like all myths, are there so that through them we can ask ourselves about human nature, not necessarily to find unambiguous answers.
The show is intended to be presented in its stage version, but there is an online adaptation suitable for lockdown situations.
Creation: Agrupación Señor Serrano / Dramaturgy: Àlex Serrano and Pau Palacios / Music: Roger Costa Vendrell / Scale models and costumes assistant: Lola Belles / Movement: Núria Guiu Sagarra / Pictures: Leafhopper project / Production director: Barbara Bloin / Producer: Paula Sáenz de Viteri / Technical director and light design: David Muñiz / Management: Art Republic
Agrupación Señor Serrano
Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat and Sala Beckett
Project part of Residenze Digitali – Armunia Centro di Residenze della Toscana