Product. A product of what? And why?
1. dubna 2023·Adéla Ohnheiserová

Product. A product of what? And why?

Meeting Point | ENG

An immersive performance by Tomáš Weber and Petr Akimov. Let's create together, let's make a film together, shall we? But let's also create uncomfortable pressure on the viewer together. Let's make them feel threatened.

The performance contains sex scenes and scenes of violence, the sign at the entrance proclaims. Small room. Please put away all your excess belongings, it's better for you. I'm sorry. You sit on the chairs placed in the space and wait.

Darkness, light, a voice. Let's make a Hollywood movie together with all its clichés and prejudices. Shall we start lightly? No, no, no, no, no. Immersion is about drawing the viewer in, making her scream, just as she would if someone pulled a knife on her. The atmosphere suddenly thickens. 

Together, we'll build a script. The characters are a girl and a Muslim. But not just any Muslim named Ahmed, but Ahmed the terrorist. What can Ahmed the terrorist do? He can fuck his girlfriend. He can cover himself in explosives and blow himself up at Disneyland while holding the hand of a little kid looking for his mommy. Crash a plane full of people while sending a voicemail to his girlfriend saying goodbye. Another option is to set himself on fire in his partner's apartment. Get thrown in jail and wait for his girlfriend, who has slowly become a ninja because of him, to free him. These are all options for our product, our scenario. What happens is up to you.

An hour where you are the co-creator of the situation. Are you? Actually, no, because the options are pre-determined. You always do what the performer wants you to do, and if you resist, they push you to choose that anyway. Do you feel threatened? Immersed? What is the final product? That's up to us, isn't it?