What’s left when there’s nothing left?

Paradoxically, the more time passes, the more we care about the things we no longer have access to. The city of Pompeii is extraordinarily preserved under the lava that covered it in a single day 2000 years ago. The void left in the lava by the disappearance of organic matter has become the matrix of plaster bodies, tangible witnesses of that world. Like an upside-down mirror, the programmatic destruction of Uranus Hill in the 80s, left almost nothing tangible, only a few physical fragments; instead, a community who shares vivid memories was created.

We invite you from 5 to 22 November at /SAC @ Malmaison to the visual and performative installation activated on 5, 6, 12, 13, and 17 November – a pendulum between oblivion and recovery, erasure, and reconstruction. We bring spaces, objects, and stories from past times into the present, and we reconfigure them creating experiences that become new archival sources. Become witness to this typical mechanism of subjective archiving.

The project is based on the research of Ioana Marinescu (visual artist and architect) who brings to light the phenomenon of repressed, disappeared histories and forced displacement of communities.

The performances of 5, 6, 12, 13 and 17 November are made with the participation of Mrs. Aurelia Anton, former resident of the Uranus neighbourhood and in collaboration with Katia Pascariu (actress), Ana Turos (actress), Cristian Văraru (sound and video editing), Doina Apreotesei (costumes).

The visual and performative installation Past Present. The Archive and the Body is part of the curatorial program Open Context at /SAC @ MALMAISON of co-productions, research and collaborative and transdisciplinary practices in visual, performing and scenic arts. The /SAC team that collaborated on the installation: Justin Baroncea (architect), Maria Ghement (architect) and Simona Abagiu (producer).

On 12 and 13 November, as part of the visual installation, we are hosting and dedicating two workshops to members of the Ukrainian community in Bucharest, active witnesses of an ongoing phenomenon of destruction and displacement.

The project Past Present. The Archive and the Body is co-produced by PETEC (Asociația Pentru Teatru și Carte) and /SAC @ MALMAISON in partnership with H2Dance (London), CNDB (The National Center for Dance Bucharest), Beaconsfield (London), the community Cartierul Uranus, CESI (Centrul de Excelență în Studiul Imaginii), Radio România Cultural (Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation – Cultural National Channel), Igloo.

PETEC is an interdisciplinary platform for production, research and education in contemporary performing arts, with openness to related artistic, social and humanistic fields. PETEC’s productions start from the exploration of some awkward themes and performative languages, by which we test new methods and new forms of work each time. These experiments take shape in various performances, from contemporary dance and theater plays to performing performances in unconventional spaces.

/SAC @ MALMAISON is the second /SAC space in Bucharest, the first being opened in 2018, on Berthelot 5 street. /SAC @ MALMAISON is located in a context-community – the Malmaison Studios (an artistic community that includes studios, project spaces and galleries) – recently founded in the Malmaison building. Located on Calea Plevnei, 137C, it has a history of almost two centuries. This space was set up with the support of POLICOLOR, URSA and ALMALUX.

The Space for Contemporary Ary – /SAC – is a private independent initiative, a resource context dedicated to the current needs of the producer and the public to establish a direct and formative dialogue through exhibition, research and promotion.

The project is co-financed by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund (AFCN). The project doesn’t necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the project’s content or for how its results can be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the grant beneficiary.

Bonus: room with a view at /SAC @ Malmaison – overlapping histories in real time

Contact

Monica Bumbeș, PETEC Communication Officer – monica.bumbes@gmail.com, 0723330589

www.petec.ro