London International Mime Festival

Some weeks ago I went to see two performances from the London International Mime Festival. The first one was “USSR was here” by BlackSkyWhite, a Russian group. Two performers with very good acrobatic, technical abilities where performing in a black stage, interacting with light and a continuous (powerful in my opinion) soundtrack. I wasn’t able to understand any narrative behind it, but a series of moments between two persons that probably had references and symbols that I couldn’t get.



But what I am keeping from this performance is the fact that two bodies in a black space together with light and sound can create a series of powerful images. Creating illusion was one of the objectives of the performance. Their movements, the participation of a fake head in the performance and the costumes had as a result the deconstruction of the body and the disorientation of the audience. It is revealing what only bodies and costumes can create. I just have the impression that the show was more a demonstration of a series of techniques and abilities where I couldn’t find the objective.





The second performance was “Kefar Nahum” by the Compagnie Mossoux Bonte, from Belgium. This was a kind of puppet theatre where, the puppeteer is performing as well. The puppets are not real puppets but simple objects that take life at the hands of their creator. They are a continuation of the body of the puppeteer, they are part of her body, costumes. In the end they are so strong that they take power over their creator.




What I found very interesting in this performance was the element of sound again. The sound was produced live by a musician that was sitting at the edge of the stage. It was very interesting how the movements of the puppets and the sounds worked together perfectly. The sound became an indispensable element of the performance, equally important with the visual part.
The visual part we experienced was a series of surreal images consisting of a human fighting with objects. The light, the colours and the shapes of the objects made these images beautiful in an abstract way.



Both performances were beautiful but nothing exceptional in my opinion. I am still looking for a performance that will drug me away from reality and make me travel. Because for me this is what I am looking for in a performance. Something rare to happen but it does sometimes.