I Believe
A collaborative physical performance - Poland 2009
by
Mehdi Farajpour
Anna Dziedzic
Mehdi Farajpour
Agnieszka Koss
Marta Lechowicz
Rafał Łachut
Kamil Łapaj
Aleksandra Mielczarek
Magdalena Wolnicka
Weronika Żylińska sound: Francois Sardi Photo: Magda Hlawacz Graphic design: Magda Hlawacz
Kasia Mular First of all
I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to create a piece in Poland, especially given that 2009 is “The Year of Grotowski”.
Despite the physical and cultural distance between my native Persian culture and Poland -I have always felt quite at home here. It is inspiring to be in the city where the not only the Theatre of the Thirteen Rows was born but also the birthplace of Grotowski’s Theatre Laboratory.
Therefore, from depths of my heart, I offer this performance to Jerzy Grotowski- a precious inspiration to us all. Second of all
I would like to give my best regards to a special person who gave me the opportunity to live and work in Opole. I firmly believe that such an international cultural collaboration is not easy to arrange. Especially, in this day and age when in many countries the budget for cultural and artistic activities falls underneath that of the military yearly budget!
Thank you so much to:
Mrs. Beata Maliszkiewicz
Mr. Krzysztofie Żyliński
And Mrs. Denise Rinehart for her researches and poems that became a notation for the performance. Third
“Auschwitz” is not only the name of a place which they called a “concentration camp” but it is also a dangerous ideology which still exists in many countries. However, we prefer to close our eyes, cover our ears and shut our mouths in order to feel the peaceful world around us. But, when I close my eyes at night, I see the faces of the prisoners in Auschwitz 60 years coming alive. When I cover my ears, I still hear the children crying in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Rwanda, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and Gaza from only just few months ago. But I refuse to shut my mouth. This performance is my remonstrance against the “Auschwitz” which still continues. Because it is an ideology and not only the name of a place. I truly believe,
Mehdi Farajpour
Many thanks to
Denise Rinehart, Hofan Chow, Tomoko Komura, Eileen Connant for the affective poem: Hiroshima Tragic Chorus I was trimming my Bonsai.
I was asking my mom to buy me a new hat.
I was catching dragonflies.
I was finishing my breakfast.
I was stitching a hole in my skirt.
I was coming out of the toilet saying “The Airplane is, the airplane is…”
I was watching my mom hang clothes through a window.
I was making a house for a grasshopper.
I was buying tomatoes at a greengrocer’s shop.
I was changing the baby’s diapers.
I was having my hair cut by grandma in the garden.
I was crying because a bee bit me.
I was watching carp in the pond.
I was naked.
I was halfway through my rice cake.
I was watching a B29.
I was bouncing a ball.
I was slipping on sandals.
I was on my way back home from the post box.
I was pouring water into a vase.
One thing common to everyone,
Complete silence.
A collaborative physical performance - Poland 2009
by
Mehdi Farajpour
Performers:
Natalia CiępkaAnna Dziedzic
Mehdi Farajpour
Agnieszka Koss
Marta Lechowicz
Rafał Łachut
Kamil Łapaj
Aleksandra Mielczarek
Magdalena Wolnicka
Weronika Żylińska sound: Francois Sardi Photo: Magda Hlawacz Graphic design: Magda Hlawacz
Kasia Mular First of all
I feel honored to have been given the opportunity to create a piece in Poland, especially given that 2009 is “The Year of Grotowski”.
Despite the physical and cultural distance between my native Persian culture and Poland -I have always felt quite at home here. It is inspiring to be in the city where the not only the Theatre of the Thirteen Rows was born but also the birthplace of Grotowski’s Theatre Laboratory.
Therefore, from depths of my heart, I offer this performance to Jerzy Grotowski- a precious inspiration to us all. Second of all
I would like to give my best regards to a special person who gave me the opportunity to live and work in Opole. I firmly believe that such an international cultural collaboration is not easy to arrange. Especially, in this day and age when in many countries the budget for cultural and artistic activities falls underneath that of the military yearly budget!
Thank you so much to:
Mrs. Beata Maliszkiewicz
Mr. Krzysztofie Żyliński
And Mrs. Denise Rinehart for her researches and poems that became a notation for the performance. Third
“Auschwitz” is not only the name of a place which they called a “concentration camp” but it is also a dangerous ideology which still exists in many countries. However, we prefer to close our eyes, cover our ears and shut our mouths in order to feel the peaceful world around us. But, when I close my eyes at night, I see the faces of the prisoners in Auschwitz 60 years coming alive. When I cover my ears, I still hear the children crying in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Rwanda, Korea, Vietnam, Japan and Gaza from only just few months ago. But I refuse to shut my mouth. This performance is my remonstrance against the “Auschwitz” which still continues. Because it is an ideology and not only the name of a place. I truly believe,
Mehdi Farajpour
Photo gallery
Many thanks toDenise Rinehart, Hofan Chow, Tomoko Komura, Eileen Connant for the affective poem: Hiroshima Tragic Chorus I was trimming my Bonsai.
I was asking my mom to buy me a new hat.
I was catching dragonflies.
I was finishing my breakfast.
I was stitching a hole in my skirt.
I was coming out of the toilet saying “The Airplane is, the airplane is…”
I was watching my mom hang clothes through a window.
I was making a house for a grasshopper.
I was buying tomatoes at a greengrocer’s shop.
I was changing the baby’s diapers.
I was having my hair cut by grandma in the garden.
I was crying because a bee bit me.
I was watching carp in the pond.
I was naked.
I was halfway through my rice cake.
I was watching a B29.
I was bouncing a ball.
I was slipping on sandals.
I was on my way back home from the post box.
I was pouring water into a vase.
One thing common to everyone,
Complete silence.