performance at play me on standby – la voirie, biel/bienne 2021
with jonas frey
through their performance, robin lütolf and jonas frey reconfigure existing spaces and question the walls that define them. by continuously adapting their voices, rhythms and gestures to one another, they create a shared ground for communication on a more abstract level.
the work is based on a fragmentary script, while large parts of the piece remain improvised. it takes up layered topics and moods and connects them into a shifting network of meanings without submitting to conventional forms of order. there is no ready-made narrative designed for entertainment; instead, the piece requires active attention and cooperation. whenever a narrative thread begins to emerge, frey and lütolf follow another tangent, revealing the strange logic that holds a conversation together.
different layers of meaning unfold from texts by jonas frey. yet even literal repetition cannot repeat something that depends on time and on a counterpart. robin lütolf responds to the spoken word in writing, manipulates what is being said through electronic tools, and continues to transform it until it becomes unclear who is asking, who is answering, who remains silent and who is speaking.
text: joëlle bischof