In Performance: Germinal (Walker Art Center)

Germinal
Halory Goerger and Antoine Defoort
Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN, USA)

Like any great creation myth, Germinal begins with darkness. The four performers discover how to create light, then communication, then sound, then all the other elements that make up a proper universe, including both the joy of being together and existential dread. Watching the performers craft a world from scratch provokes a child-like delight as they debate ways to give form and then voice to their thoughts and attempt to collectively organize their world. This world-building is full of visual delights which include taking a pickaxe to the stage floor and creating an elaborate diagram that attempts to categorize everything in existence. With a host of tools at their command, from music to lighting to tearing apart the stage itself, the performers of Germinal address questions of how we challenge or accept the conditions of the world in which we find ourselves.

Germinal will be performed February 26th-28th, 2016 at the Maison Folie Wazemmes, in Lille, France. A recording of Germinal is available for rent or purchase at Ontheboards.tv.

The Walker Art Center’s programming continues with Faye Driscoll’s Attendance: Thank You For Coming February 17th-21st, 2016 (reviewed here).