Re:construction

Using video, spoken language, immersive soundscapes, performative fragments, and audience interaction, Re:construction creates a theatrical landscape that invites visitors to project their own narratives onto the work.

Speechlessness arises in experiences that lie beyond the purely rational—beyond our control: fear, sexuality, a near-death experience, an accident, loss, or music. Even when language falls short of expressing these experiences, our perception refuses to let us ignore them.

Type of work: Performative multimedia installation
Duration: Flexible. The installation can remain on display continuously, while the live performance can be presented as a continuous one-hour performance or in shorter segments over an extended period.
Recommended age: 12+
Spoken language: English

Trailer

Past Dates

Mo 19. – Mi 21. Oktober 2020
20:00 // ALL IN Symposium
Ort: Alte Feuerwache, Melchiorstraße 3, 50670 Köln, Deutschland

Fr 15. – So 17. Mai 2020
20:00 // Sommerblut Kulturfestival
Ort: Alte Feuerwache, Melchiorstraße 3, 50670 Köln, Deutschland
+++ABGESAGT wegen CORONAVIRUS+++

Mi 30. Oktober 2019
12.30 – 14:00 // Staatenhaus Oper Köln
Ort: Rheinpark 1, 50679 Köln, Deutschland

So 8. September 2019 // Premiere
20:00 // Alternative Stage Greek National Opera
Ort: Stravros Niarchos Kulturzentrum, 364 Syggrou Avenue Athen, Griechenland

Concept & Direction: Nikolas Jürgens (DE) & Nils Rottgardt (DE) – Performers: Lucy Wilke (DE) & Max Greyson (BE) –Audio Concept & Audio Design: Markus Brachtendorf (DE) – Artistic Collaboration: Bernard Mescherowsky (DE) – Text: Max Greyson (BE), Nikolas Jürgens (DE), Nils Rottgardt (DE), Lucy Wilke (DE) – Video Performers: Tamara Aydinyan (AM), Sarena Bockers (DE), Dodzi Dougban (DE), Andrea Eberl (DE), Max Greyson, Sabine Lindlar (DE), Bernard Mescherowsky, Wagner Moreira (DE), Aristide Rontini (IT), Max Schweder (DE), Filippos Zoukas (GR) – Video Performer International Sign Language: Rafael Grombelka (DE) – Video Performer Visual Vernacular: Eyk Kauly (DE) – Camera: Bernard Mescherowsky (DE) – Speakers: Emma Gilkinson (NZ), Jeremy Nicholl (UK), Tamara Aydinyan (AM), Steffen Reuber (DE) – VFX Artist: Tim Stadie (DE) – Costume & Stage Design: Sarah Haas (DE) – Advisor for the Visually Impaired Audience: Franziska Wilke (DE) – Creative Producer: Lisette Reuter (DE)

The limitations of language in the face of emotionally overwhelming experiences are universal—they can be felt by everyone, regardless of language, communication methods, or disability. In Re:construction, this shared dilemma becomes the starting point for an equal and creative search for alternatives to verbal expression.

The work is conceived as a theatrical landscape that deliberately avoids directing visitors through the exhibition or offering a fixed sequence of images, sounds, and performance fragments. Instead, visitors are invited to construct their own narrative, adopt an exploratory attitude, and engage with the work on a personal and emotional level.

Throughout the installation, visitors repeatedly encounter forms of access that remain partially or entirely inaccessible to them—for example, a text in Braille, untranslated videos in International Sign, a video in the poetic sign language form Visual Vernacular, a silent video, or written text. In this way, Re:construction highlights that direct access to visual, auditory, or performative works can be limited for anyone, with or without a disability.

For blind and visually impaired visitors, the installation offers several audio descriptions that often take on an independent, almost poetic quality, drawing their aesthetic language directly from the artworks themselves. A tactile floor guidance system also enables visitors using a white cane to navigate the exhibition independently.

The live performance is presented as a Relaxed Performance.

• Portfolio Performance (PDF)
• Technical Rider Performance (PDF)