Visited “my shapes, your words, their grey” by Philipp Gehmacher for Baltic Circle festival. He danced and talked. The movements were inspirational, he worked to convert stutter and hesitation into dance – But the movements were not introverted as some gestures echoed poses that are familiar from street protests. The lecture he gave while dancing was an uninspiring illustration of the theory of performativity and new materialism. He was plowing space for the agency of objects and working to present himself as a material being. His claim was that when objects and humans meet in the realm of art, they lose their contrast and become “grey”. He tried to align himself with the materials but the process felt forceful – The objects were only supporting his storyline. The piece came off as a ballad for the agency the artist has lost.
Eero Yli-Vakkuri