Be fruitful and multiply
About
Be fruitful and multiply was born from a fascination with the Renaissance and early Baroque phenomena of sprezzatura; a social attitude of studied nonchalance. Sprezzatura was all about showing power in the most non-efficient and aimless way.
The motion of plastic bags embodies pure sprezzatura, manifesting freedom of movement, laziness and, most importantly, immortality.
The piece focuses on the ambiguous nature of plastic bags; on their elegance and ugliness, as well as their daunting ability to adopt different life forms.
It is based on compositions from Baroque paintings, where characters are entwined in a very dynamic way, mostly in catastrophic scenes.
Be fruitful and Multiply fuses artificiality and exaggerated devotion towards plastic, to reveal the absurdity of our attitude towards the environment.
“By confounding reverence for the environment with devotion to one of its principal pollutants, Nauman satirizes our blindness to ecological destruction.” – Nicholas Minns
“Comic genious! ” – Stella Rousham
“Work which confronts modern issues with an arch, ironic gaze.” – Izzy Rogers
steps of the creation
2019/11 – Premiere at Chisenhale Dance Space (professional audience) – London
2019/11 – sharing in Primary School front of 120 children – London
2019/05 – The Place Theatre – London – sharing of the work with the students of the MA DAP Programme LCDS
Concept and Choreography
- Alka Nauman
Costume design
- Alka Nauman
- In progress : with Aniela Fidler Wieruszewska for a new version 2022-2023.
Music
- Sileant Zephyri (fragment from Filiae Maestae Jerusalem) by Antonio Vivaldi, music consultant Jamie McCarthy
Perfomers
- Lucie Palazot, Keity Pook, Shum Pui Yung, Leilah Simone Williams
Light Design
- Michael Mannion
Production
- Parade. If you would like more information about this creation : prod@collectifparade.com
