NIKE,
THE STATUE OF OUR LIBERTY
[livestreamed subjective guided tour]
Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
Premiere at 23.08.2021.
A headless goddess, a poet in front of a McDonalds and comrade Lenin. One taken away, one given a new name and identity, one that will not stand much longer. What they have in common is that they embody memories of a city: labour movement events and miners’ days, opposition rallies, Tinder dates and dares, the spirit of the post 1989 wild capitalism and the traces of an abandoned working class.
The history of sculptures in public space is usually nothing short of adventurous. They are erected by different powers and then fall victim to others: moved or demolished as a result of changes of government or regime. The moment they are born, their fate is sealed, as sooner or later remembrance, their raison d’etre, will be replaced by oblivion and they will all become ruins. From a distance of 200 km, Kristóf Kelemen takes us on a subjective guided tour of Pécs, his hometown, from statue to statue, through stories layering world events, Hungarian history and episodes from his personal life. His investigation is centered around concepts of community, solidarity, power, freedom and collective memory and combines the methods and esthetic of documentary theatre, city walks and influencer videos. While speaking about statues made from bronze or other materials, he also reframes these monuments with the help of virtual platforms, qr codes, tumblr pages or augmented reality layers, and by reflecting on the new and more democratic possibilities of the online world in the future.
Photos: Alina Vincze/Anett Kovács/László Tóth
"By unraveling the history of public sculptures, the production exposes the selective nature of societal memory along with how deeply political discourse can influence what is remembered – and how. The whole experience would make for an interesting history lesson if it wasn’t for Kristóf Kelemen infusing it with personality."
(Panni Puskás, revizor.hu)
"Everything is connected to everything, of course, with all seemingly random threads intertwining in an enthralling way, while – through its playful and personal tone – the performance maintains a modern charm throughout."
(Andrea Rádai, Magyar Narancs)
"This subjective tour from a young dramaturg-director is much more than a mere introduction to his hometown. Kelemen is a true theatre thinker, expanding our perception of theatre with original ideas instead of limiting himself to try and fulfill expectations within the realm of cliché, thus confining the viewer’s experience too. (...) Nike, the Statue of our Liberty is a true novelty in the Hungarian theatre scene today, and one that will no doubt make us see the bronze statues of cities differently."
(Felícia Korcsmáros, Index)
"One of the standout characteristics of Kristóf Kelemen's kind personality is a type of open-mindedness that can confront the rigidity of autocratic systems in every genre with ease."
(Csaba Kutszegi, kutszelistílus.hu)
Concept and Performer: Kristóf Kelemen
Guest: Ildikó Sterner
Director of Photography: Alina Vincze
Music, Sound Designer: Péter Márton
Video: Péter, Gyenei, Balázs Virág
Production Manager: Anita Totobé, Judit Böröcz
Assistant Director: Anita Totobé
Light and Sound Technician: Ákos Lengyel
Documentation: László Dinea, Róbert Gyökér
Special thanks: Anett Kovács, Dezső Kelemen
Production: Trafó House of Contemporary Arts
The performance was created within the framework of the Liberty international partnership with the support of the Creative Europe Program of the European Union.