Monument 0.5: The Valeska Gert Monument (2017)
by Eszter Salamon & Boglárka Börcsök
image credit: Andreas Bolm
“The Valeska Gert Monument is a work created for the theater. It operates through a collection of performative acts related to the life and work of German artist Valeska Gert. She was an avant-garde figure turning her back to modern dance already at the beginning of its rising. At the early 1920’s, she has developed a performance practice by combining theater, dance, cinema, poetry and singing, a mixture of expression familiar to Berlin’s cabaret scene of that time. Despite her artistic fearlessness, provocative and anarchic performing intensity the importance of Valeska Gert’s role in art, dance and performance history has been for long time disregarded. In The Valeska Gert Monument autobiography replaces art historical discourse while imagination fills the gaps created by the absence or lack of historical documents.”
Eszter Salamon
Concept and artistic direction Eszter Salamon Artistic collaboration Boglàrka Börcsök Choreography and text Boglàrka Börcsök, Valeska Gert, Eszter Salamon Performance Boglàrka Börcsök, Eszter Salamon Light design Sylvie Garot Scenography Sylvie Garot and Eszter Salamon Sound design Bart Aga, Marius Kirch Technical direction Matteo Bambi Costume design Anne-Catherine Kunz Tailor Marie Eva Rodriguez, Gisèle Charles Set construction Atelier de Nanterre-Amandiers Production Botschaft GbR, Alexandra Wellensiek, Studio E.S, Elodie Perrin Co-production Kaaitheater, PACT Zollverein, City of Women, Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, Fund for Dance Support Fondation Boghossian - Villa Empain, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, DRAC - Regional Agency of Cultural Affairs in Paris, The French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the NATIONALES PERFORMANCE NETZ, Fonds Transfabrik – Franco-German fund for the performing arts Thanks to Stefanie Lingener, Herman Sorgeloos, Liza Baliasnaja, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Nestor Garcia Diaz, Marie Messien, Robin Diehl