Liberty, Equality, Fraternity or Death - with Siljeholm/Christophersen – Norway 2012

The original slogan of the French Revolution; “Liberty, equality, fraternity or death” stands as the framework for the project. It is charged between two extremes, life and death. One can interpret this as either you are with us or you are against us, as an expanded understanding of “us and the other”.  In the book “Orientalism” (1978) by Edward Said, he discusses the Occident, the West, us, and the Orient, the East, the other. He promotes his argument that the subject, the West creates the object, the East. We want to examine how “the other” possibly is a reflection of ourselves, a projected reality that is merely about “us” as a subject than the "other" as an object.

The performance consists of 4 performers ranging from the age of 30 - 61 years. Is it possible to orchestrate the values of the French Revolution as ”a we” as ”us”? Who are then the others? Are we a representable group to frame these values? Put in the context of the theatre; are the audience ”the others”? Is it possible to understand a resonance of the revolutionary slogan in a theatrical context?

Concept, Choreography & Dance: Siljehom/Christophersen

Creating Dancers: Hilde Rustead, Bibbi Winberg

Dramaturge: Per Ananiassen

Set Design: Carl Nilssen-Love

Light Design: Tilo Hahn

Music: Andreas Mjos

Costume Design: Kamilla Kotte Birkeland

External Researchers: Marie Hafting, Rana Issa

Producer: Annika Ostwald