Wednesday, November 15, 2006

• “Alternative Guide to Georgia and Caucasus”

Caucasus Biennale, Tbilisi, Georgia, October 2006
see:
www.caucasusbiennale.com






This was a presentation/performance were we spoke about the changes that occurred recently in Georgia and Caucasus region and some of which according to us have not taken good direction. We presented videos with absurd toasting situations, small golden fountain souvenirs that are being built in large quantities lately,

touched upon the nationalistic feelings that are being awaken etc. The performance had a shape
of the small market stand, where at the end of the performance goods that were presented during the performance were displayed for sale.







Another City, Another Life
9th April – 17th August 2008
Zachęta Mały Salon and public space of Warsaw


• “Caucasus Game”


Festival Est-Ouest, Die, France, September 2006
see:
www.est-ouest.com

This festival was organized by city of Die in south of France to show the culture from Caucasus. Writers, translators, visual artists, performers and musicians were invited to present their region. We presented “Caucasian Game” for this festival - it was a memory game that used real people instead of cards. Twelve people were asked to participate; two Georgian, two Armenian and two Azeri men and women had a map of Caucasus attached to their backs and nationality tags attached tot heir front. (French) people playing the game were given the choice to pick two they wanted to turn to show their fronts, therefore identity. Person choosing nationality match was a winner and got the DVD that we produced especially for this occasion.
This DVD is an alternative travel guide through Georgia.

• “I was silent”

ACCEA (Armenian Centre for Contemporary Experimental Art), Yerevan, Armenia, August 2006,
see:
www.accea.info
www.accea.reviews




This performance was part of the project “Art without borders” organized by ACCEA. We presented a show based on the personal letters and a video, showing a trip to Baku. Given the fact that Azerbaijan did not participate into the project the main purpose of which was to open the borders in the region we made some critical comments through our performance. In this performance we put in some politically incorrect sentences, jokes and stereotypes that circulate the Caucasus. We strongly believe that without the discussions and bringing tabooed themes to the light, things cannot change in this region. Important changes have to happen in culture as well as elsewhere because nothing worthwhile can be crated or produced unless people in the region start thinking beyond their little borders.

• “Roof performance”


Tbilisi’s urban neighborhood, Tbilisi, Georgia, June 2006
Collaboration with two visual artists Tamuna Chabashvili and Baia Sikharulidze





This 20 minute performance dealt with the reality and made up reality, or rather reality imposed on us.
During the performance, texts were read from the Georgian Cosmopolitan magazine listing down tips about how to make your body seem more desirable, more beautiful, how high heels can make you look better or how to judge men’s sexual potential according to his mobile telephone.
The billboard stating “Georgians, forwards to the King Agmashenebelis Georgia!” refers to an absurd wish of a Georgian society to reverse development of our country to the past, the performance demonstrated that reality can be much more absurd then art.





' Georgians! Let's move forward to Agmashenebeli King! ' - this phrase was written on one of the bill boards on the high way. It reflects very well political processes in Georgia, we have an aim to move forward to west, but in the same time we have nationalistic nostalgia of the 12th century, when Georgian Kingdom was influential in Caucasian region. We want to build democracy, but we need a strong leader, who will take responsibility and bring country to the prosperity, when we meanwhile can happily stay in the fairytale world.




Another City, Another Life
9th April – 17th August 2008
Zachęta Mały Salon and public space of Warsaw

• “What do Georgian women do in Istanbul”

Apartment Projects, Istanbul, Turkey, April 2006
see:
www.apartmentproject.com



This 20-minute performance dealt with the prejudice about the Georgian prostitution and salespeople that do business in Turkey. Here we play with the themes like crossing the Georgian-Turkish border, things we see at the border, luggage and passport control and of course the far stretched look towards Western lifestyle, wealth and well-being that hide behind the horizon.








• “Kilebi da Kalebi”, “Women and Jars”

NAC (National Art Centre), Tbilisi, Georgia, March 2006
see:
www.enoughroomforspace.org
www.geoair.blogspot.com






This 20-minute performance was part of the Dutch-Georgian collaborative project: “Georgia here we come”. This performance dealt with bodies and behavior of two different kinds of women. In this piece we question Georgian table traditions and toasting - the usual show off culture used to impress ‘foreign’ guests.