The Seed Eaters, created in collaboration with artist Emily Mast, is a deconstructed play made up of ten short scenes, enacted by a revolving cast of local residents who have been chosen for how little they seemingly have in common. The Seed Eaters (Spelen) will be the third iteration of The Seed Eaters, which is restructured and revised for the particular people, architecture and cultural context of each place in which it is performed.
Presented over a broader spatial framework than is usually possible within the conventions of theater making, the play assumes the form of a procession in the dark. “Players” activate a series of sculptural sets, using stylized scripts, edible props and loosely choreographed gestures. Over the course of the performance, an illuminated landscape emerges, in which players switch roles, alternate between two languages (in this case, French and Dutch), and experiment with dramatic modes to form an ecstatic and fragile portrait of human relationships.
The scenes, which range from banal to highly theatrical, are inspired by the awkward and sometimes dangerous space that separates strangers. Following the live performances, visitors are invited to embody the roles themselves and create a personalized version of the play.
THE SEED EATERS (SPELEN)
The STUK Arts Center
Playground Festival
November 15-18, 2018
With Sarah Bekambo, ,Ann Bries, Dennis Mensah, Zakaria Ridouani, ,Wouter Tran, Hein van den Brempt & Astrid Waterinckx
Sound by Vincent Caers
THE SEED EATERS (NOIR)
La Ferme du Buisson, Paris
Performance Day 2018
June 2, 2018
With Wendy Choi, Nils Loret, Luis Ospina, Hicham Raji and Sabine Reungoat
Sound by Linda Edsjö
THE SEED EATERS
Grazer Kunstverein, Austria
Co-presented through the Steirischer Herbst 2017 Festival
September 23–27, 2017
Installation and texts on view September 23—October 31, 2017
With Dennis Ferescu, Julia Holzer, Thilo Grassmann, Lilo Ko, Wera Köhler, Hanna Krenn, Anna Lackner,
Margot Maass-Goettsberger, Anja Mörk, Oliver Posch, Sinisa Savic, Monika Schabus-Steffen, Elisabeth Steiner, Eva S., Marwin Strutz
Sound by Manuel Alcaraz
Menu by Fiona Hallinan
Machine Project, Los Angeles, April 2017
Workshop presentation
With Luke Johnson, Garrett Hallman and Zoe Kauder Nalebuff
Watch the trailer
E-Flux
Script
DRAFF interview with Emily
DRAFF performance diary
The Seed Eaters (Spelen), 2018, Stuk House for Dance Image & Sound
The Seed Eaters (Noir), 2018, Ferme du Buisson © photos by Émile Ouroumov
Performance stills from The Seed Eaters, 2017, Grazer Kunstverein, by Thomas Raggam and Lena Dragoljic