Gdańsk: New Project by Amareya Theatre & Guests: "PERFORATIONS: The memory of water"

?PERFORATIONS: Memory of water? is the first installment in the cyclical project of artistic and animated events launched by the Amareya Art Association and invited artists from Gdańsk, Poland and abroad, as well as local institutional partners. The title ?Perforations? refers to the multifunctional work of ?perforations? ? the making of holes ? and the ?rationale? ? an impulse, a reason, a truth which can be injected in our lives by performing arts. As a cyclical event, ?Perforations? entail the making of symbolic holes in the surrounding reality. ?Perforations? is a new event on the cultural map of Poland; it enables the creation and promotion of new works in performing arts, and engages outstanding artists from Gdańsk, Poland and abroad, while also including marginalized social groups in the artistic and culture-producing activities.

The first installment of the project is titled ?PERFORATIONS: Memory of water?, and consists in an interdisciplinary consideration of the notion of water ? the primary natural resource of the City of Gdańsk, which contributes to its unique character and constitutes its local identity. Featured in the subtitle of the project, water is naturally linked to the celebrations of the 1050^th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland. The first edition of ?Perforations? has also been inspired by the book ?The Memory of Water? written by the Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto, and the difficult memories of the survivors of the 2011 tsunami in Japan, as well as the memories of refugees, for whom water was the sole escape route.

The artists invited to contribute to the ?PERFORATIONS: Memory of water? project include Barbara Kinga Majewska (2015 Polityka?s Passport nominee), sculptor Adriana Majdzińska, Joanna Duda (co-author of a Gold CD in 2015), dancer Aya Irizuki (known for her appearances in ?Cherry Blossoms? and ?Fukushima, my love?, directed by Doris Dörrie), Yuko Kawamoto (Japan), Katarzyna Pastuszak (Amareya Theatre), Aleksandra Śliwińska (Amareya Theatre), performer and dancer Aurora Lubos and visual artists Anna Domańska and Zuzanna Klein.

As part of the project, the artists will produce a Polish-Japanese performance/installation titled ?Memory of water?, created by Joanna Duda, Yuko Kawamoto (Japan), Katarzyna Pastuszak, Barbara Kinga Majewska and Aleksandra Śliwińska. ?The Memory of Wate? will comprise elements of water, memories of the 2011 tsunami survivors and material objects subjected to disintegration in the course of the performance.

?PERFORATIONS:Memory of water ? will also feature a sculpture/installation by Adriana Majdzińska, entitled ?Hado: Water Memory? and directly referring to Masaru Emoto?s concept.

Additionally, the project will include two performances by Aurora Lubos, ?From the Sea? and ?Witajcie/Welcome?, in which the artist takes up the European refugee crisis and the oft-anonymous deaths of refugees at sea. The refugee crisis will also constitute the main theme of Anna Domańska?s video work ?Water Stories?, which touches upon the perilous journey from Turkey to Greece across the Aegean Sea made by hundreds of thousands of people from Syria and other countries of the unstable region.

Accompanying these events will be the presentation of ?Thread Clay? by the Japanese dancer Aya Irizuki, in which the artist materializes underwater stories.

Thanks to the collaboration with the Baltic Sea Culture Centre, ?PERFORATIONS: Memory of water? will also feature a curator?s project by Magdalena Smolak, entitled ?Liquid Video Session?, which comprises a selection of one-minute films from around the world, inspired by water in the broadest sense.

?PERFORATIONS: The Memory of Water?will also include a video installation ?Look. I can?t see? by Zuzanna Klein, stemming from an accidental recording of a drowning man.

All events organized as part of the project will be presented at venues related to water, and at partner institutions: Centrum WL4 on the Motława river, Klub Żak and Brzeźno Beach.

Integral to the project is a cycle of open artistic workshops oscillating around the notion of water. The workshops are intended for the residents of the MONAR Gdańsk-Matarnia centre and the Occupational Therapy Workshops at the Cooperative for the Visually and Hearing Impaired ?Sinol? in Gdańsk. All workshops are free of charge and will conclude with post-workshop presentations. The classes will span the following fields: sculpture/visual installation (Adriana Majdzińska), music improvisation (Joanna Duda), dance and theater (YukoKawamoto, Katarzyna Pastuszak, Aleksandra Śliwińska). The project will also include a film by Anna Domańska, who will document the process.

?PERFORATIONS: WATER MEMORY? is implemented from the funds of the City of Gdańsk and as part of Katarzyna Pastuszak?s scholarship received from the Marshall of the Pomorskie Province.

Documented by Maciej Sierpień.

Special thanks to Adriana Majdzińska and Czesław Podleśny and Centrum WL4 in Gdańsk for their brilliant collaboration.

SCHEDULE OF MAIN EVENTS IN THE PROJECT:

23 September, Brzeźno Beach

START: 5 pm, admission free

– vernissage of Anna Domańska?s ?Water Stories? installation

– vernissage of Adriana Majdzińska?s ?Hado: Water Memory? installation

– vernissage of Magdalena Smolak?s ?Liquid Video Session? installation, presented in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Culture Centre in Gdańsk

– vernissage of Zuzanna Klein?s ?Look! I can?t see? installation

24September, Brzeźno Beach

START: 5 pm, admission free

– Aurora Lubos?s performance ?From the Water?

– Anna Domańska?s ?Water stories? installation

– Adriana Majdzińska?s ?Hado: Water memory? installation

– Magdalena Smolak?s ?Liquid Video Session? installation, presented in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Culture Centre in Gdańsk

– Zuzanna Klein?s ?Look! I can?t see? installation

2 October, Klub Żak

START: 7 pm, admission ticketed

– Aya Irizuki?s (Japan) ?Thread Clay/ ???? ? accompanying event; tickets available at the Klub Żak ticket office (www.klubzak.com.pl)

21 October, Centrum WL4 ? Gdańsk, on the Motława river (ul. Wiosny Ludów 4, Gdańsk)

START: 7 pm, admission free

– vernissage of Anna Domańska?s ?Water stories? installation

– vernissage of Adriana Majdzińska?s ?Hado: Water memory? installation

– vernissage of Magdalena Smolak?s ?Liquid Video Session? installation, presented in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Culture Centre in Gdańsk

– vernissage of Zuzanna Klein?s ?Look! I can?t see? installation

22 October, Centrum WL4 – Gdańsk, on the Motława river (ul. Wiosny Ludów 4, Gdańsk)

START: 7 pm, admission free

– Aurora Lubos?s performance ?Witajcie!/Welcome!?

– Anna Domańska?s ?Water Stories? installation

– Adriana Majdzińska?s ?Hado: Water Memory? installation

– Magdalena Smolak?s ?Liquid Video Session? installation, presented in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Culture Centre in Gdańsk

– Zuzanna Klein?s ?Look! I can?t see? installation

23 October, Centrum WL4 – Gdańsk, on the Motława river (ul. Wiosny Ludów 4, Gdańsk)

START: 7 pm, admission free

– premiere presentation of ?Memory of water?, a performance/installation by Barbara Kinga Majewska, Katarzyna Pastuszak, Joanna Duda, Aleksandra Śliwińska, Yuko Kawamoto, Bartosz Cybowski

24.10 Centrum WL4 – Gdańsk, on the Motława river (ul. Wiosny Ludów 4, Gdańsk)

START: 7 pm, admission free

– presentation of ?Memory of water?, a performance/installation by Barbara Kinga Majewska, Katarzyna Pastuszak, Joanna Duda, Aleksandra Śliwińska, Yuko Kawamoto, Bartosz Cybowski

– presentation of Anna Domańska?s film documenting the workshops held as part of the project with the residents of the MONAR Gdańsk-Matarnia centre and the Occupational Therapy Workshops at the Cooperative for the Visually and Hearing Impaired ?Sinol? in Gdańsk.

Download:

Detailed descriptions of events

Media patrons:

TVP Kultura
Trójmiasto.pl

Magazyn Torii

Japonia.online

Pomorskie.eu – Wrota Pomorza