30 years archive
1989
Performance
The performance ‘1989’ is a crossover of our artistic stage expertise. It is built upon movements of different oral, literary, visual, narrative, embodied and play matrixes. We interchangeably move within these matrixes as we move along the story. From not-acting, not pretending to be in a time and space different than members of the audience, not feigning, impersonating, simulating to be nobody nothing than ourselves in relation to the story. CUT. Even using some or full costume, we still don't act for the audience, we still ourselves, yet our costumes represent something or someone from, in the story. CUT. We interact with only one element or dimension of the story, like in the one of spoken words, singing or interaction with multimedia. CUT. More and more elements are incorporated simultaneously, or in close proximity to each other, or on top of each other, or on top of us, or the audience, on top of us again; our acting becomes complex, the story runs riot and the audience ́s behaviour defines their position. CUT. CUT. This does not necessarily happen in this order but swapping in a continuum tetra-dimensional dramaturgical axis. Clarity, Chaos, Certainty, Questioning. This axis is not only connected to our performance. Chaos and emptiness are symbolic of Venezuela’s current political chaos and the lack of medical and food supplies. Likewise, certainty and questioning signify the certainty of (very polarised and often incomplete) news, though presented with opinionated confident offer little real information and questioning, symbolising our approach to them.
At the extreme corner of their dramaturgical axis, Gomes & Ortega ́s place four particular questions in their performance that they want to open up to large audiences in a way that they cannot do with the archive:
How is to be a Venezuelan Migrant in Berlin?
What is known in Berlin about Venezuela ́s current situation?
Which characters, elements, events, facts are possibly connected in the present of both places, Venezuela and Berlin?
How could we have a meaningful conversation on a stage in the so-called “first world” about countries in crisis?
more information ....
1989 will be premiered in 2020 on the 3rd floor at Ballhaus Ost, Berlin
Migrant magic realism
Our methodology
MIGRANT MAGIC REALISM is a methodology developed by Gomes and Ortega where they combine their artistic practices and infuse it with their literary traditions of Latin American magic realism. Using their realities as Latin American migrants, MIGRANT MAGIC REALISM seeks to represent and critique social situations they encounter as Latin American immigrants in Europe. Influenced by Latin American ‘Magic Realism’, they hyperbolize social realities and spice them with magic, history and critique. With this methodology they seek to initiate an artistic movement that can represent Latin American stories using a Latin American narrative style - with a metaphysical focus on space and time and with the integration of Latin American legends, myths and culture. The artists respond to their country’s reality through their own cultural lens.
About Us
Gegen Butterflies
‘Gegen Butterflies’ aka Lalo Gomes & Carolina Ortega, are a Berlin-based performance duo from Venezuela. Formed out of the need to talk about the migrant reality through the media they know best: performing. Their interdisciplinary collaboration mixes elements of theatre, performance art, visual art, story telling and their own style of tropical punk. Creators of their own methodology, MIGRANT MAGIC REALISM, where they combine their artistic practices and infuse it with their literary traditions of Latin American magic realism.
Lalo Gomes
Lalo Gomes (b. 1989) is a Venezuelan artist, starting his independent career in 2008.
Gomes is a creator of fictional, documentary theater and literary theatrical events, a cross-disciplinary researcher and a contemporary performer, as well as a conceptual, visual artist, a self-taught-cook, a speaker of wisdom and a creativity pedagogue.
Lalo Gomes writes, teaches and performs en Español, English, und Deustch.
Since 2013, he lives and works in Berlin.
Carolina Ortega
CAROLINA ORTEGA is a Berlin-based Venezuelan director, dramaturg and performer. She studied Theatre direction and dramaturgy 'MA Text & Performance' at RADA (London) and Literature and Creative Writing (Drama) at University of London. She trained in acting at City Lit and Physical Theatre at LISPA, as well as with John Mowat, Lee Delong, Lorna Marshall and Philippe Gaulier. Additional training includes experimental performance at SMASH (Berlin) and studies in Documentary and Biographic Theatre at UdK Berlin.
www.carolinaortega.eu
with thanks to:
Leonardo González (Illustration) (Featured image in 1989: Grocery Shopping)
Alexander Carrillo (Choreography)
Laura Konti (Photography and Documentation)
tbd