XIMI
XIMI | Protoype Testing
January 20th, 2022, by Jonathan Florez
BRIEF SUMMARY:
The ARGOS R&D Project (now XIMI) invites an international group of artists to experiment and push the artistic boundaries of live digital theatre-making! The Theatre Practice (Practice) believes that digital theatre is not simply a stopgap measure for artists in COVID times, but a new medium for artistic expression and audience engagement in the development of our art-making.
Proposal 1 | Problem Based Test
It is of utmost important that any new venture; being a performance, a business or even a personal endeavor, takes into consideration the extreme poles of the current global challenges. From a full lock down to a complete reopening as it once was, such contigencies consideration is essential.
This winter, I’m anticipating it will be a similar winter as the last one in order to not be deterred to develop new projects. Out of simple pragmatism I wish to test the Argos prototype, in order to enable performers that could be bound once again to a small living & working area, with a basic camera, a mic & only themselves to carry on with their work.
The Challenge
Bound to a small space, the shops are closed & there’s no chance to leave your quarters.
How do I make the most of my personal space? In the lack of physical resources, how do I rely on digital ones only? & how do I transfer a theatrical experience on the stage to a shiny rectangle?
Reference #1
The Approach
I would like to replicate a small DYI theather company of 3 performers that are based in 3 separate locations, & they must prepare as follows:
Relying solely on a virtual background (still or video), it should appear as it is one mise-en-scène for all performers
In their actual space, they will use a green screen & rehearse to achieve the illusion they are in one location
The hardware & software should be as user-friendly as possible, so the performers can primarily focus on mastering the theater piece
This will tackle two of my objectives: one background as well as using visual components for other style of multimedia performances.
Reference #2
Technical Requirements
Four Prototypes (3 for performances & 1 for the technical director)
Three green screens
Wide lens, in case the performer is in a small space & additional space is needed for the mis-en-scene montage
One key light (Small LED panel light) & 1 background light for green screen (TBC if it must be lit)
Proposal 2 | Tentative Performance Based Test
If it’s possible to test the prototypes before mid November & the beta version proves to be reliable for an actual show , I would like to consider their use for a digital performance.
The following show will return for a re-run one time performance only & currently all 4 performers are based in different regions (Berlin, Geneva & Tel Aviv).
The digital adaption will require a documentary multi-media approach, where as each performer delivers their monologue, media such as video or photos will be prompted along the narrations.
The Land of Milk(y) & Honey? Israelis in Berlin
“I pity those who no longer remember the Holocaust and abandon Israel for a pudding.”
This statement, made by Yair Shamir, then Israeli Minister of Agriculture, to the Jerusalem Post in October of 2014, marked the climax of the so-called “Milky protest”. In a post that launched a thousand ships, the Facebook page Olim L’Berlin (Aliyah to Berlin) urged Israelis to move to Berlin due to a markedly cheaper cost of living. The primary evidence? Aldi’s Dessertcreme & Sahne, a dessert comparable to Milky, the dominant pudding brand in Israel, sold for less than a third of the price. This Facebook post received more than one million likes within four days and created headlines around the globe.
Nearly 75 years after the end of the Second World War, Berlin’s Israeli community is estimated to number in the tens of thousands and impossible to verify due to issues of multiple citizenship. Is Berlin truly this promised land of milk and honey? Are people from Israel really immigrating here only because of the standard of living, nightlife and Berlin’s fabled cultural reputation? What about those Israelis who leave the country due to the current political climate? And what affects do 20th century history as well as multiple reports of rising antisemitism have on emigration from Israel to Germany?
Three Israeli performers explore these questions using verbatim text from 60 interviews with the widest possible spectrum of partners; Israelis with an active religious background, Israeli Arabs, highly politicized Israelis as well as Israelis who have absolutely no interest in politics.
Description for past performances here:
https://www.etberlin.de/production/the-land-of-milky-and-honey-2019/
