INFINI 1–17

In “INFINI 1–17”, the Belgian scenographer Jozef Wouters explores the contingencies and limitations of conventional stage scenery by means of a series of stage sets entirely void of performers. He asked various artists, ranging from theatre makers and choreographers to writers and visual artists, to make a contribution, with only one restriction: they had to build a bridge between “the here” and another place and ponder the question of what sets the theatre needs in this age of hypermobility, migration and displacement. 17 works have been created so far, and 15 of them will now be presented in Berlin. These so-called “infinis” (the French term for “painted scenery”) are a reflection on the theatre and an exploration of the central perspective of classical theatre in an age when everyone is looking through a different lens. Contemporary media are added to the traditional backdrops in order to evoke concrete, virtual and imaginary places and spaces: the coast of Lesbos, the silhouette of a city from inside a video game, an endless palm forest and many more. “INFINI 1–17” shows all these spaces consecutively, with the theatre machinery running full steam and challenging our perspective over and over again. This show inspires the collective imagination with spatial experiments, radical illusion and boundless magic. “INFINI 1–17” is also a model of cooperation among a generation of theatre makers and artists who don’t thrive on their own egos, but have elevated collaborative creation into a new credo.