Confession
Created in 2008 - Iran
Duration: 21 min
Concept, Direction & choreography: Mehdi Farajpour
Video and sound technicien: Masoud Mardan
Narration voice: Varesh Darvish
Poster: Makan Koochaki
Description:
‘Confession’ is a 20 minutes solo show, based on someone’s destiny whose name is not Gulliver!! But the life of that ‘someone’ has many things in common with Gulliver’s adventures. However the strange question is : what can be in common between Gulliver -who is coming from a fantasy world- and the Middle Eastern women -who are suffering from realities- ? The short solo Butoh will slowly show what unifies them.
Photos by Ainhoa Valle
A note by Director:
‘Confession’ is a rebellion and compassion at the same time. Compassion with all those women all around the world who are suffering from the rules of which made up by men. And it s a rebellion as well against all kind of violence, whether under religion’s cover whether social rules, etc.
The solo performance “Confession” symbolically speaks about someone’s destiny whose name is not Gulliver!! But the life of that ‘someone’ has many things in common with Gulliver’s adventures.
However the question is: what can be in common between Gulliver who is coming from a fantastic world and Middle Eastern women who are suffering from realities in the 21st century? The short solo Butoh will slowly show what unifies them.
Photos by Tommi Taipale
A note about the “Confession” by Johanna sarjas, Journalist in Finland:
The performance I witnessed gave me a lot of inspiration, for my work as a journalist as well. The theme of Confession is important, it is a reality of so many people in different places, in various agonising ways. It is not only visual or in other ways artistic satisfaction that one can experience when in the audience, but it is a healing experience when these emotions are brought up. Fear, frustration and angst when making up one´s mind whether to leave one’s country/home is a true experience of, not only many people living under oppressive governments or in war situations, but also of many who are going through these states because of economic or climatic situations/conditions. What is outstanding is the spirit, reason or intention in which this artistic work is done. I very much like Farajpour´s way. I trust it to be true. I feel it is his genuine intention to express the reality in a naked, uncompromising way. The audience deserves a well thought out result which is choreography of the subject in question. This thinking process must have taken place in the mind and body of the performer before going on the stage. This I believe Farajpour has done and the result is mature art with intensive presence.
Johanna Sarjas-August 2009
Video
The text of performance:I am someone whose name is not Gulliver. So, there weren`t any voyages. Because I was born in destination, where I met too many tiny people in my native country. So, there were no voyages, no ocean, and no ships. But there was fire, the first image that I saw in my life. Because, I was born from the fire. I grew up beside the fire. I am still burning inside of the fire in Lilliputian’s country, where I was born and I am writing from there, NOWHERE. I should begin to travel. I should begin to travel. I should begin to TRAVEL.
Representations:
- International theatre festival “Time for Theatre”, Poland 2008
- Nottle theatre company, South Korea 2008
- 1st International Butoh festival, Tampere, Finland 2009
- 1st Stockholm fringe festival “STOFF”, (Supported by French institute) Sweden 2010
- 3rd International Barcelona Butoh festival 2010
- Teatteri Naamio ja Höyhen, Helsinki 2011
- 14th International festival “Traverse video”, Toulouse, France 2011
- 1st international Butoh festival “Buto sans frentier”, Paris 2011
- Salle de la mairie de Xe, Paris, 2011