Seven Tales of Misery (2006)

Links: AUDIO  PAGE  SLIDESHOW  REVIEWS

An expansive old building in central Copenhagen, once home to both a Freemason's lodge and a Pentecostal mission, was transformed into the dreamy and eerie residence of a staunch cult. It represented a secluded world resplendent with religious, secular and political rituals. The audience was directed through the 43 rooms in small groups before being released to explore the fictitious universe individually. They were taken to greet the austere Prince of Trauenstein, leader of the movement on his throne, and to pay visits to the chambers of the seven Continents, each symbolized by a pair of young women. The house was interwoven by magnetic tapes, driven by the 148 reel-to-reel tape recorders that constantly absorbed the symbolic miseries of the world. In the end, all misery would be collected, for the prince to bring to the magnetic North Pole and delete, thereby freeing the world from its sorrow, and ushering in a new era.

Date: 9th to 30th of September, 2006, 18:00 to 23:00 (except the 11th, 18th, and 25th)

Place: Plex - Københavns Musikteater, Kronprinsensgade 7, Copenhagen, Denmark

"As in their (Sørensen and Köstler’s) previous performance installations, ‘Seven Tales of Misery’ delves into the aesthetics of decay and disbandment. And once again, the two artists guide the audience into the subtle question of control and freedom, seduction and submission, as well as authentic and constructed reality." (translated from Danish)
- Vibeke Wern, Berlingske Tidende

"The level of intimacy is overwhelming. (...) It’s easy to sense how the different stories in Seven Tales of Misery take on their own lives and grow. You certainly get the urge to remain seated – or come back another evening: The production unashamedly absorbs the audience’s time. It’s also possible to take it a step further and interact with the residents. That’s why spectators need courage and curiosity to open the doors on their tour round. You never know what’s on the other side." (translated from Danish)
- Mette Garfield, Information

"With her lavish theatrical journey, performance pioneer Signa Sørensen has created a spectacular paraphrase of theatre as a ritual.
The strength of this piece of total-theatre lies in its paraphrasing of theatre as a ritual. The entire building is in actuality a mega theatre stage. A depiction of theatre as entrenched from the outside world and an elitist cult. Was it not Aristotle who talked of theatre as a cleansing, a catharsis. And uniformity, this is the formative process around common human misery, which we are expected to take home. The most challenging aspect of ‘Seven Tales of Misery, is the contrast between controlled uninformativity and varied diversity." (translated from Danish)
- Monna Dithmer, Politiken

“The old house sends fantastic signals about former times with discoloured wall-papers, worn stair-cases, dirty attics and damp basements. And the many performers - sometimes princesses, sometimes beggars or disciples - play their parts with an impressive mixture of authentic realism and theatrical mystery. As installation theater goes, and in this specialty the duo Signa and Arthur are fully fledged with many very successful performances behind them, the experience is terrific. It is like entering a time warp or an unknown continent -but also frightening, because the universe the performances symbolizes, the religious sect´s mixture of tyranny and complete devotion, sadly persists in real life. Here, you can barely just walk out the door when you have had enough.” (translated from Danish)
- Henrik Lyding, Jyllandsposten

"Now it’s more of a sense of being brainwashed that creeps up on us – that’s how thoroughly well executed and convincing the performance in Signa Sørensen and Arthur Köstler’s total installation is. The old building provides a fantastic feeling of by-gone days with its faded wallpaper, worn-down staircases, grotty attic rooms and damp-stained basements. And the many performers, from princesses and beggars to the disciples themselves, fulfil their roles with an impressive combination of authentic reality and theatrical mystique." (translated from Danish)
- Henrik Lyding, Jyllandsposten