Shrine
Laborare est orare. Welcome to the shrine, a place of work and prayer. Here creative forces are put to the test in a ritual celebrating both life and death. The iconic images that emerge in action are not merely the product of excavation and research into ancient times. They’re not a specific result of adulation of ancient gods, goddesses or Yaweh, the one reckless, almighty deity and lawmaker. It’s a journey, a joyous and painful struggle with the boundaries and limits of our bodies and our existence. We cannot go back to where we came from, no matter how hard we try. We still feel the remorse. That’s why we want to keep on trying. This is a requiem for the human, for all things lost.
Duration 45 min.
Concept and artistic direction Erna Ómarsdóttir and Valdimar Jóhannsson
choreography Erna Ómarsdóttir – in collaboration with the dancers
music Valdimar Jóhannsson, with Sofia Jernberg
lighting Björn Bergsteinn Guðmundsson
costumes Júlíanna Lára Steingrímsdóttir
hair and rubber tubes from Dies Irae
Sofia Jernberg’s costume from Union of the North
donut from Union of the North designed by Matthew Barney
Erna Ómarsdóttir’s costume and make-up from Dies Irae
text Bjarni Jónsson and Friðgeir Einarsson
make-up Fríða María Harðardóttir
performers Aðalheiður Halldórsdóttir, Ásgeir Helgi Magnússon, Elín Signý Weywadt Ragnarsdóttir, Friðgeir Einarsson, Halla Þórðardóttir, Hannes Þór Egilsson, Heba Eir Kjeld, Hjördís Lilja Örnólfsdóttir, Inga Maren Rúnarsdóttir, Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson, Sofia Jernberg and Þyri Huld Árnadóttir.
Shrine is part of SACRIFICE – a festival of common things made holy.
SACRIFICE is a collection of works that stress the importance of inspiration, creativity and human contact. They range from performance to installation, from the immersive to the voyeuristic, from sound to silence. The festival is a journey through various definitions of theatrical presentation and choreography, with particular focus on the human body, its movements and our ways of expression.
SACRIFICE also includes the following pieces:
DIES IRAE by Gabríela Friðriksdóttir
UNION OF THE NORTH by Matthew Barney, Erna Ómarsdóttir and Valdimar Jóhannsson
NO TOMORROW by Ragnar Kjartansson, Margrét Bjarnadóttir and Bryce Dessner
SACRIFICE
a festival of common things made holy
Produced by Iceland Dance Company, in collaboration with Lókal Performing Arts Reykjavík and the Reykjavík City Theatre.
Artistic direction: Erna Ómarsdóttir and Valdimar Jóhannsson.
Co-produced by Shalala, SPRING Festival Utrecht, Tanzhaus Düsseldorf, BUDA Kotrjik and Reykjavík Dance Festival (apap).