“Heart Chamber Fragments”, Franz Kafka, “The Burrow”, cross-species organ, transplantation, primitive and unrestrained forces, the unstoppable nature of technology
The Progress of Technology and the Technological Savage
Tian Gebing, Christoph Lepschy
Deutsch 🇩🇪
May 29th, 2024, 19: 30 – 21: 30
Literarisches Zentrum Göttingen, Nikolaistraße 22, 37073 Göttingen
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The artists examine the collaborative production of a cross-cultural theater project titled “Heart Chamber Fragments,” crafted by Paper Tiger and Munich Kammerspiele, as a detailed case study. Drawing inspiration from Kafka’s final work, “The Burrow,” the project serves as a satellite and probe, exploring the theme of “how humanity is ensnared by its own creations.” With a focus on the radical advancements in medical technology, particularly the ambitious pursuit of “cross-species organ transplantation,” the work highlights the erasure of human self-awareness. Comparable medical techniques, intrusively impacting the body, have been realized unprecedentedly during the recent years of the pandemic. Using “Heart Chamber Fragments” as a reference, the artists will introduce relevant topics and encourage participants to engage in discussions about the new “primitive and unrestrained forces” stemming from the unstoppable nature of technology.
Tian Gebing
Tian Gebing, born in 1963 in Xi’an, has been a prominent figure in China’s independent theater scene since the 1990s. His exploration of alternative performance forms began during his studies at the Central Theater Academy, where he connected with Beijing’s independent theater community. In 1997, he founded the “Paper Tiger Theater Studio,” a collaborative platform involving artists from various disciplines and social backgrounds. Gebing’s work centers on depicting the immediate realities of Chinese society and innovating contemporary theater forms. From 2010, he increasingly embraced transcultural theater practices, leading to collaborations with international theaters such as the Münchner Kammerspiele and Stary Teatr Krakow. Notable productions include “Totally Happy” (2014), “Dekalog” (2016), and “500 Meters” (2017). Since 2019, he has resided in Berlin, directing projects like “Her Face,” a performance held in private apartments, showcasing his ongoing commitment to experimental and transcultural theater.
Christoph Lepschy
Christoph Lepschy, Dramaturge and Professor of Dramaturgy studied literature and theater science in Munich and Dublin and has been working as a dramaturge since 1996 at various city and state theaters, as well as in numerous international projects, including at the Schauburg Munich, Theater Freiburg, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Staatsschauspiel Stuttgart, Münchner Kammerspiele, and the Salzburg Festival. In October 2009, he was appointed to the professorship for Dramaturgy at the University Mozarteum Salzburg. Since 2005, he has been extensively involved with contemporary Chinese theater and has collaborated with several Chinese theater-makers. Since 2012, he has been the dramaturge of the Paper Tiger Theatre Studios Beijing. Festivals, conferences, lectures, and workshops, as well as cultural dialogues, including those on dramaturgy and transcultural theater work, have taken him to numerous locations in China, as well as to Hong Kong and Taipei.
Deutsch 🇩🇪
Die Künstler untersuchen die gemeinsame Produktion eines interkulturellen Theaterprojekts mit dem Titel „Heart Chamber Fragments”, das von Paper Tiger und den Münchner Kammerspielen ausgearbeitet wurde, als detaillierte Fallstudie. Inspiriert von Kafkas letztem Werk “Der Bau” fungiert das Projekt als Satellit und Sonde und erkundet das Thema “wie die Menschheit von ihren eigenen Schöpfungen gefangen ist”. Mit einem Fokus auf den radikalen Fortschritten in der medizinischen Technologie, insbesondere der ehrgeizigen Verfolgung der “transspezies Organtransplantation”, betont das Werk die Auslöschung menschlichen Selbstbewusstseins. Vergleichbare medizinische Techniken, die den Körper invasive beeinflussen, wurden in den letzten Jahren der Pandemie beispiellos realisiert. Die Künstler werden unter Verwendung von „Heart Chamber Fragments” als Referenz relevante Themen einführen und die Teilnehmer dazu ermutigen, sich in Diskussionen über die neuen “ursprünglichen und ungezügelten Kräfte” einzubringen, die aus der unaufhaltsamen Natur der Technologie resultieren.
Tian Gebing, born in 1963 in Xi’an, has been a prominent figure in China’s independent theater scene since the 1990s. His exploration of alternative performance forms began during his studies at the Central Theater Academy, where he connected with Beijing’s independent theater community. In 1997, he founded the “Paper Tiger Theater Studio,” a collaborative platform involving artists from various disciplines and social backgrounds. Gebing’s work centers on depicting the immediate realities of Chinese society and innovating contemporary theater forms. From 2010, he increasingly embraced transcultural theater practices, leading to collaborations with international theaters such as the Münchner Kammerspiele and Stary Teatr Krakow. Notable productions include “Totally Happy” (2014), “Dekalog” (2016), and “500 Meters” (2017). Since 2019, he has resided in Berlin, directing projects like “Her Face,” a performance held in private apartments, showcasing his ongoing commitment to experimental and transcultural theater.
Christoph Lepschy, Dramaturg und Prof. für Dramaturgie, studierte Literatur- und Theaterwissenschaft in München und Dublin, arbeitete seit 1996 als Dramaturg an verschiedenen Stadt- und Staatstheatern sowie in zahlreichen internationalen Projekten, u.a. an der Schauburg München, am Theater Freiburg, am Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, am Staatsschauspiel Stuttgart, an den Münchner Kammerspielen und bei den Salzburger Festspielen. Im Oktober 2009 wurde er auf die Professur für Dramaturgie an der Universität Mozarteum Salzburg berufen. Seit 2005 beschäftigt er sich intensiv mit dem chinesischen Gegenwartstheater und hat mit mehreren Chinesischen Theatermacher*innen zusammengearbeitet. Seit 2012 ist er Dramaturg des Paper Tiger Theatre Studios Beijing. Festivals, Konferenzen, Vorträge und Workshops und Kulturdialogen, u.a. zur Dramaturgie und zur transkulturellen Theaterarbeit führten ihn in zahlreiche Orte Chinas sowie nach Hongkong und Taipei.
* As part of the CAPAS2024, the artist talk “The Progress of Technology and The Technological Savage” is jointly presented by the German Association for Asian Art and Literarisches Zentrum Göttingen.
Heart Chamber Fragments © Photo: Judith Buss / Münchner Kammerspiele
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