Watch What You Breathe!
After a morning meeting with Anna Rouhu, who introduced us to the concept of greener and sustainable theatre, another workshop took place in classroom 104 - this time dedicated to public space and socially engaged theatre.
Sarah Günther, the artistic director of Pneuma Szöv, a group that has been working mainly in Budapest since 2008, opened the meeting with a short introduction of herself and her work. At the same time, she gave us insight into the political context of Hungary, as well as the circumstances of the formation of this creative group. Immediately after this introduction, the listeners formed a circle, a space of their own, in which they breathed freely and briefly introduced themselves. A gesture or movement and a breath were associated with the performance, which was then repeated in several rounds by all the participants. Indeed, it is the breath that is the defining element of the Pneuma Szöv Art Association; the first performance of The Air Factory dealt with the influence of invisible particles of the ubiquitous air that we cannot see, but which, once inhaled, become part of us and influence our lives. In the next exercise we worked with simulated and controlled laughter – but this often naturally evolved into spontaneous expression.
Pneuma Szöv's work is not based on aesthetic or formal perfection, but on making a statement and pointing out serious issues; these vary with the passage of time and according to the country in which the artist and her collective are currently working. Günther spoke not only about public space and its effective use, but also about art and its power to shape society. However, she also drew attention to interference and attempts to thwart any work which might point to the transgressions of the political establishment. According to the artist, everything we do in our lives is political, not just an active stance but also a passive one, so provoking the powerful with art is not difficult.
We ended the workshop by talking about imperfection and our feelings of inferiority. At the end, inspiring advice on how to gradually change your surroundings was also given: just observe the world around you and smile now and then!
