True Blue News
Salzamt + LIVE! on DORFTV, Linz.
5th April, 2017.
A performative talk-discussion-news-broadcast-concert party thing with eutopic tones.
Photo by Dave Perlis
This work was made in close collaboration with Davide Bevilacqua and Sebastian Six and included massive contributions from Julia Núßlein, Reini Zach, Harald Starzer, Oliver Lehner, Remo Rauscher and DORFTV.
Act 2 featured various Citizens of the World: Marie Andrée Pellerin, Pete Hindle, Florian Zillner, Alice Moe, Lisa Felkel, Martin Nagl, Antonio Zingaro, Martin Nadal, Irene Ródenas, James Brodie, Sibylle Ettengruber. Particular thanks goes to Danica Golić and Vera Bundschuh for the dance choreography.
Act 3 featured a band and a 13 part 'Choir of the Future', featuring: Pippa Buchanan, Laura Cassol, Christina Diwold, Fatima El Kosht, Sibylle Ettengruber, Ulrike Graf, Lisa Felkel, Julia Núßlein, Simone Pree, Susanne Foisner, Irena Ródenas. Music was written and arranged by Dave Perlis and Robert Storey, with one song written and performed by Lisa Felkel and further significant contributions from Fatima El Kosht and James Brodie.
True Blue News came out of Bunn's research into utopia, and was particularly influenced at that time by reading Utopia as Method by Ruth Levitas, which is a great book.
The key idea of Method is neatly encapsulated in the title of the book - Utopia is not a fixed place, it is something you work towards (and never reach). We attempted to express this throughout the performance, which fluctuated up and down along a utopic timeline.
The creative process began with a series of informal discussions between Bunn, Bevilacqua and Six. Bunn then began work Act 1. For Act 2, a series of workshops were organised to open the process up to a wider group of participants, using a draft of Act 1 as a flavour indicator.
The performance was split into 3 Acts:
Act 1 told the story of how a local Linz TV station hit the big time by tuning into the hot social topics of the day. It was a one-camera-performance by Bunn from within closed a box situated within the first part of the exhibition space, surrounding by the audience, who watched the goings on via live television.
Act 2 showed the TV station as it entered its 'professional stage', and followed the station's progress as it teetered back and forth along a utopic timeline. This part of the performance took place in a stage-like TV station setting, with the live audience watching the goings on live and on TV monitors.
Act 3 featured a short concert with songs written by Dave and Rob and sung by an all female choir. It took place in the same performative space, with some simple modifcations.