Re: <documenta X><blast> vitruvius

Angus Trumble (ang@camtech.net.au)
Thu, 31 Jul 1997 22:07:46 +0100

PREAMBLE: vitruvius graciously accepts Valery Grancher's kind invitation
to visit "No Memory", although she draws the line at interaction.
vitruvius's memory is exceedingly long. She also gives Jordan a big
smack for suggesting that Angus has *anything at all* to do with the
staging. For the past few days vitruvius has been putting on a long,
Fuchsia coloured transparency decorated with bold Mesoamerican runes.
She is preparing herself for the Aztec moon dance of love. As she leaves
the dressing-room she turns, pauses, and whispers her special message
for MusE. Darling, between Sisyphus and quicksand it sounds as though
you're stuck between a rock and a soft place. Do what I do, she says.
Try avoiding cathedrals, deserts, all ocean-going vessels and be
extremely selective with libraries.

A hushed silence descends upon the raffish diners and lounge-lizards of
Cafe Sisyphus, Adelaide. A lonely spotlight sways clumsily towards a
kind of Aztec-temple shaped podium at stage left. The spotlight is
guided by the unsteady hand of the ghoulish Pierre, vitruvius's ageing
assistant and mise-en-scene provider. Papier mache rock carvings are
suspended from flies at rear. Suddenly, there are loud gasps as
vitruvius's accordioniste takes up her position upstage centre. It is
none other than Catherine David, who, by special arrangement with
vitruvius's agent, has taken possession of the night for Documenta X.
The last drinks waiters scurry away from pleading diners to provide an
unobstructed view. Plumes of cigarette smoke rise from Table 8.

Applause echoes through Cafe Sisyphus as vitruvius appears from stage
right. Summoned by loud chords of the accordion, vitruvius adopts her
Aztec position, a curious, rectilinear affair requiring maximum control
of the knees and elbows. A series of cruel jabbing movements follow,
combined with a solemn rotating movement, the two elements suggesting
the bold forms of ancient Mexican temple architecture. (vitruvius's
choreography is highly textual.) vitruvius accelerates. vitruvius
crosses the stage, by now a blur of Fuchsia, runes and jabbing. There is
a sudden key change, and vitruvius freezes with it, adopting what she
calls her Kassel position. The Kassel position is not unrelated to the
Aztec position, but relates more closely to industrial architecture. It
ought not to be attempted by performers with insufficient pelvic
strength. vitruvius's pelvis is very robust.

TO BE CONTINUED