BENCE MAGYARLAKI
SUDDENLY, SUDDENLY NO
A collaboration between Bence Magyarlaki and Divine Southgate-Smith, the work aims to investigate the displacement of a speaking subject in space, and the hierarchy tension that may exist between that subjectivity and the structure through which its words are spoken.
Bound by three columns are concealed three performers, attempting to embody one unified voice, the voices are caught in a disjointed monologue that gives way to an illusion of a dialogue bouncing between the columns; one always contradicting or deconstructing the words of the other.
As the voices attempt to form a statement describing (in each of the four acts) either their position in space, state of being or recounting an incoherent narrative; they ultimately fail to utter in unison the spoken recital.
Adapted from Samuel Beckett’s Texts for Nothing, the voice of Speaker 1, (who could be possibly considered as the voice that is attempting to surface) struggles to set a scene, a time, a place and at times some type of identity throughout the duration of the recital. These statements are then debated by Speaker 2 and Speaker 3, the words are taken out of context, re-written and negated as the duo playful dissect the words to create a dynamic that subjects the voice of a split subjectivity.
Initially the spectator enters a space where all they are able to see are three columns and revealed in the shadows are the form of three bodies, as they move through the space and between the columns they are able to see the performers behind the structure. The internal and external structures of language are thus laid out bare as the audience flow in and out of the sculptures.
The performance occurs in intervals and is not announced.
When the sculptures are not activated by performers, the staging suggests that a performance is about to occur or has already taken place. Though the setup also implies a certain degree of audience interaction and the ability to attempt to discover the function of the objects.