RADIX: DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY - a play for 4 spectators “The man who introduced the tribes and the democracy…” The modern world that we inhabit champions the democratic principle that all citizens have the right to vote and maintain their integrity within the city, state or nation that they belong to. By default this also implies that the democratic principle is entitled to defend itself against that, or who, which does not belong to its own city, state or nation. Acts of violence towards the Other was, and is, legitimate within a democratic system. That Herodotus emphasised that Cleisthenes was the man who introduced the tribes and the democracy – in that order – is telling. The ten tribes of Athens that would become the Assembly of voting free men was primarily a tribal system that would enable a redistribution of wealth across Attica, but more importantly it would supply the city-state with a strong military force to defend itself against Others. In our current climate the old Athenian moral is making itself known to us once again. The main difference is that we today cannot yet pierce through the veil of centuries of imperial and colonial rule which have all muddled the once clear waters of democracy into a swamp. The clarity of the first democratic principle, although brutal, was transparent in its inherent injustice towards the Other. In the swamp of democracy that we find ourselves trudging through today the democratic principle has made sport of covering itself in the shimmer of progress all the while operating as a hungry wolf. DEMOCRACY is a visceral confrontation between the spectator–actor, spectator–spectator and the spectator–space that addresses the insurmountable difficulty of distinguishing right from wrong, good from bad, and the lengths humanity is willing to go in order to defend themselves against the Other. THIS PERFORMANCE IS PART OF RADIX: τριάς BY IBODIES RADIX is a studium where citizens, artists and scholars can re-examine the practice of theatre as radical. Radical must in this context be seen as an origin, or root–from the Latin radix. Theatre must in this context be understood as the arena in which performance takes place. The studium is run by ibodies since 2022 and examines theatre and its languages and pays special attention to what kinds of performance are possible within the arena of the theatre. In this special edition of RADIX we will examine the idea of the triás: the trinity. Passed down through centuries, the idea that three aspects are necessary for creation to exist–passivity, activity and neutrality–can be found in mythology, theology, philosophy and art. Bearing this in mind, we will look specifically at the triadic relationship between the spectator, the actor and the space. All the performances presented in this year's program challenge, question and subvert our preconceived ideas of who, or what, is active, passive or neutral within a performance. Our emphasis on the possibilities inherent in examining the triás remains an ode to the possibility of civic engagement that the origins of theatre presupposed. These considerations and more will be at the forefront during a week-long event of performances, talks and workshops with invited artists and thinkers from across the globe. The majority of the performances have been reimagined especially for this edition of RADIX. The emphasis of the program remains to provide a meeting-place through the arts for public and artist alike. Public talks with the invited artists will run parallel to the performances throughout the week which we invite you to attend and discuss at!