- an audio-visual performance bridge.

Since 2003 recoil has experimented with artist collaborations across genre and borders. Amongst other projects we have developed the concept GRENZSTADT, which is a trans national artist collaboration via the Internet.

We named our project GRENZSTADT (Border Town) as it aims to search and dilute the concept of borders.  
The performance revolves around an audio-video stream established on the Internet linking together two or more locations situated in different countries.
Both audience and performers are able to see, hear and react to each other despite the physical distance and national borders separating them.
Musicians compose music live on synchronized synthesizers and dancers perform a duet with a virtual dance partner, streamed live from the other country.

Through this web of digital information the performance is seeking to overcome the physical separation by creating a close interaction between the venues
– a challenge to our perception of distance, contact and intimacy.

In September 2006 GRENZSTADT was performed between O3one Project in the center of Belgrade and Culture-box in the heart of Copenhagen.
Electronic music, live video and DJ’s was streamed live between the two venues via  audio-video Internet link.
Framed by this setup, a Serbian and a Danish dancer performed a dynamic duet despite the 1350 km and 5 borders separating them.

During the event, the audience from the two cities were able to both see and hear each other, allowing them to share an evening of music and dance that reaches far beyond borders.

From where - to where this project could be realized is limited only by the access to the Internet. We hope to initiate a development of artist collaborations across borders that can give new and different shapes to the GRENZSTADT concept.

Grenzstadt was performed September 6th -7th and 13th-14th, 2006

In Copenhagen:
at
Culture-Box
Kronprinsesse gade 54
1306 København K
www.culture-box.com

In Belgrade:
at
O3one project
11000 Belgrade SCG
Andricev Venac 12
tel: +381 11 32 38 789
www.o3.co.yu

Performers:
In Copenhagen:
Dance and Choreography: Tina Tarpgaard
Music: Pelle Skovmand
Video and stills: Sasa Mackic

In Belgrade:
Dance and Choreography: Dragana Bulut
Music: Rastko Lazic
Video: Srjan Radmilovic

GRENZSTADT was supported by:
Wihelm Hansen Fonden
The Danish Arts Council
Danmarks Nationalbanks Jubilæumsfond af 1968
Københavns Kommune
Danish Center for Culture and Development

GRENZSTADT_MiddleEast


In the spring 2007 recoil did a GRENZSTADT workshop and performance in collaboration with Masahat (Landscapes), a newly established network for dance between Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan.

From April 15th till April 29th, musicians, video artists and dancers from Jordan, Denmark and Lebanon engaged in creating material for an audio-visual performance bridge between Amman and Copenhagen.

in the studio of the Haya Cultural Center we experienced two very intense weeks full of challenging and exciting information shared between the participating artists.

Photo: Simon Moe

On April 29th we presented the final performance:

In Copenhagen (at 6 pm):
Plex Music Theater
Kronprinsensgade 7
København K

In Amman (at 7 pm):
As part of the Amman International Dance Festival
At the Haya Cultural Center

Performers:
Amman:
Dance: Ahmad Salhi and Alia Hamdan
Music: Farhan Abu Hamdan and Shadi Khries
Video: Ayham Abu Hammad
Network and Tech: Ole Kristensen, Muhammad Shaqeldee

Copenhagen:
Dance: Carolina Bäckmann
Video: Srdjan Radmilovic
Network and tech: Simon Moe

GRENZSTADT_MiddleEast was suppored by:
The Danish Art Council
Danish Center for Culture and Development