World Ends and the Limits of Humanity

Perspectives from the Artistic Programme

The end of the world or the limits of humanity and the planet are themes that run through the festival program. Phia Ménard stages the collapse of the myth of Europe, followed by the fall of a patriarchal-capitalist power structure and an uncertain future in the ruins of a sunken world. The new production by Samara Hersch & Lara Thoms also poses the question of which worldviews are still viable for the future: Inspired by a disobedient girl who drew attention to the lack of freedom of indigenous people in Australia, young people discuss the meaning and purpose of national anthems and patriotism. Far beyond Western categories and accompanied by the music of the Guarani people, Lia Rodrigues choreographs animated beings and enchanted landscapes that continue to be acutely threatened in Brazil. Luanda Casella imagines the end of the world in 2062 drastically and concretely as the destruction of all living environments. The limits of human existence in the face of an uncertain future is dealt with also in Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere’s new documentary theater piece about the developments of deep-sea mining, as well as in a performance of the Back to Back Theatre, in which an artificial intelligence tries to keep up with the socio-critical debate of the human actors. Meanwhile, Lina Lapelytė sings about the cycles of life and decay, together with a choir in Lake Zurich.