Photographs: Doris Uhlich, Melancholic Ground, 2023. Press photos. Courtesy of the artist © Alexi Pelekanos, Karolina Miernik
melancholic ground
A ship, a castle, a car and a horse. For us as children, the playground is a small world all of our own. Designed for sheer fun, for physical exercise and as a stage-set for vivid fantasies, the playground infrastructure in melancholic ground goes beyond its usual function. Fourteen performers of different generations cavort on the rocking horse and the slide; their movements are executed extremely slowly, in a halting flow; or, dressed in plush costumes, they offer themselves as toys for the others to play on. For her new work, Doris Uhlich, one of Austria’s most acclaimed choreographers internationally, explores the feeling of melancholy. Rather than leading to isolation, melancholic ground allows this state to be experienced collectively. In the absurd Disneyland laid out between climbing frames and sand pits, subtle resistance is offered against the dictates of productivity and the standardisation of bodies.
CREDITS
Concept, Choreography
Doris Uhlich
Performance
Hugo Le Brigand, Pêdra Costa, Adil Embaby, Ann Muller, Andrius Mulokas, Moravia Naranjo, Mzamo Nondlwana, Gabriele Oßwald, Karin Pauer, Thomas Richter, Vera Rosner, Virginie Roy, Wolfgang Sautermeister, Valentino Skarwan, Grete Smitaite, Haha Wang
Spatial interventions
Juliette Collas
Marco Tölzer
Costume
Katharina Heistinger
Costume consultation
Ann Muller
DJ, Sound
Boris Kopeinig
Dramaturgical Feedback
Adam Czirak
Social Media
Esther Brandl
Production management
Margot Wehinger, Helen Parkes
Company management
Margot Wehinger
Co-production
Wiener Festwochen
insert Tanz und Performance GmbH
Funded by the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna and the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria, Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport