Audiovisual real-time enactment and interactive-participative setting on contemporary issues of the political sovereign, following Brecht

performance susanne gschwendtner / tina muliar
text / dramaturgy susanne gschwendtner / tina muliar / alexandra reill
space design | video installation concept / video editing alexandra reill
interactive video setting peter koger
camera georg eisnecker / alexandra reill
audio composition / real.time mix eargazm
docu photos / camera sascha osaka / bernadette stummer
concept / mise-en-scéne alexandra reill
production kanonmedia in cooperation with hotel am brillantengrund
in the framework of herbstfestival neubau | vienna 2012

Simonida works and lives at Hotel am Brillantengrund, the name of the hotel describing its location in a quarter of Vienna which once was the most wealthy industrial quarter of the city. Simonida enjoyed thorough education but to make a living she works as a waitress and being an artist she knows poverty very well. She is aware of the plight of those who struggle for daily bread, but she is convinced that people – however they want to live or however they can make a living – deserve a life of prosperity and recognition. She tirelessly fights for the rights of the disenfranchised, but her battle is getting tougher in a capitalism being as shattered as ruthless. Simonida is stretched to her limits. Does this struggle make sense at all?

Simonida is a mediatized person, a protagonist people can get involved with in order to catch a glimpse of socio-political future. Audiovisual metaphors reflect Simonida’s search and her fight for survival. It may be an image, a sound, a word that comes from the performers, the audience or the TV monitors which can be controlled by the audience.

The outlook may not always awaken high hopes, but there is one aspect the director Alexandra Reill certainly never forgets in this performative installation: always keep in mind how fragile people are.

BLESSED SIMONIDA FROM THE BRILLIANT GROUNDS supported by

our thxs go to
— das weisse haus
— truus grünvogel
— jewish theater austria
— florian launisch
— katharina stock
— barbara zeidler
— commission of culture 1070 vienna

BLESSED SIMONIDA FROM THE BRILLIANT GROUNDS presented / staged at

— in form of a reading by tory rahsl / alexandra reill of the short version BLESSED ANNA FROM THE BRILLIANT GROUNDS in the framework of die schweigende mehrheit sagt ja!. zum.flucht.punsch / altes akh / vie / a / 16
— in form of a reading by tory rahsl / alexandra reill of the short version BLESSED ANNA FROM THE BRILLIANT GROUNDS in the framework of die schweigende mehrheit sagt ja! / beside staatsoper wien / vie / a / 15
— presentation in form of a media lecture at serde latvia / aiz / lv / 13
— presentation in form of a media lecture at upgrade!zagreb / hr / 13
— in the framework of the festival kulturherbst.neubau: hotel brillantengrund / vie / a / 12

BLESSED SIMONIDA / ANNA FROM THE BRILLIANT GROUNDS listed in | featured by

— dankesrede zum nestroy spezialpreis / nestroypreis / vie / a / 15
— dankesrede zum nestroy spezialpreis / die schweigende mehrheit sagt ja. / vie / a / 15
— spectre / int / 13
— portal zadar / zadar / hr / 13
— otokivanic / zagreb / hr / 13
— portal zagreb / zagreb / hr / 13
— urban cult / zagreb / hr / 13
— kulturpunkt / zagreb / hr / 13
— wien wiki / vie / a / 12
— puls4 / vie / a / 12
— apa / vie / a / 12
— art visuals & poetry / vie / a / 12
— esel / vie / a / 12
— kultur.herbst.NEUBAU / vie / a / 12
— hauptstadt.at / vie / a / 12
— wien.gv.at / vie / a / 12
— events.falter.at / vie / a / 12
— mein blog / vie / a / 12
— wherevent.com / bordeaux / f / 12
— monptidoi / f / 12
— furtherfield / lon / uk / 12
— netbehaviour / lon / uk / 12
— rhizome / nyc / us / 12
— allevents / int / 12
— evensi / int / 12
— netznetz / vie / a / 12
— metalab / vie / a / 12