On October 23rd, 2020, Artipelag will host the premiere of the new dance and film installation Vanmakt by the director and dance choreographer Alexander Ekman. The project has been made possible by Micael Bindefeld’s Foundation, by awarding Alexanders its annual grant.
What is it that makes us either to act, be quiet or just watch? How can we turn powerlessness and helplessness to bravery and civil courage? In Vanmakt Alexander examines the question on our own responsibility.
In an interview in Svenska Dagbladet, Alexander talks about the installation.
”It is a new artform. We will be in the Artbox at Artipelag. The idea is to show films on all walls, in front of them or against them, creating moments of different art forms. It can be dance, pictures, people who participate in different ways. A cross-fertilization between different media. It will be a system where subparts will be added continuously creating new. I work almost up to the premiere the last week in October. This is completely new to me and I have never done anything like this before.”
Micael Bindefeld Foundation annually awards a scholarship supporting those who wish to communicate, give information or in any form convey knowledge to a broad Swedish audience stories about the Holocaust. It is becoming more and more difficult to get testimony from the survivors of the Holocaust. Within the near future, no survivors (witnesses) will be alive and therefore the need to convey their stories will be more important than ever.
The motivation from the foundation on the choice of Alexander Ekman is:
”The 2020 Scholarship is awarded choreographer and director Alexander Ekman for his film installation on the major and complex questions evoked by the Holocaust. In this art project Alexander explores our helplessness, bravery and our civil courage and invite young people as well as adults to reflect on one’s own responsibility. By keeping not only the memory of the Holocaust alive, the project also raises awareness that it is possible for anyone and everyone to prevent something like this from happening again.”
Alexander Ekman is one of the absolute foremost choreographers of our time. He works on the big stages in Stockholm, Sydney, Paris, Berlin and New York and is acclaimed everywhere for his extraordinary and innovative productions.
Vanmakt has a world premiere on October 23rd and will run until November 22nd. The work is under development and therefore no tickets are available. More information about the work and tickets will be found on Artipelag’s homepage.
Pictured above: Micael Bindefeld, Alexander Ekman and Artipelag’s founders Björn and Lillemor Jakobson.
