Sans-Papiers

“12 wagon festival, theater “The train in Rouf”, 5-15 of Mai 2010, Athens, Greece

[ Sans-Papiers ]
Ιnteractive performance based on texts of Matei Visniek
Performed and design by Odysseas Konstantinou, Ioanna Neofutou and Spiros Klitoras Charalampopoulos.

This performance came out, after the big hunger-strike of 300 immigrants, occupying the law school and asking for recognition and there right to remain in the country. Thousands of people every year sacrifice a lot, to make a journey to the west world that consider as there only salvation of war, misery and disaster of their country. Greece is a country close to the borders of Europe and many immigrants use it as transit country for their last destination. Traveling illegally from the land and sea, all the ways of transport are used for transfer them to the “Promised Land”. Always considering that these issues are not easy to answer and the problem of immigration raises lots of different reactions, we tried to open that subject to the public. Our goal was to reverse the social roles and create the feeling of alliance to the audience. In a small wagon, of 6 people capacity, we cram as much people as we could with us, making them accomplices to an illegal journey somewhere in Europe. The theater audience, as illegal immigrants had to deal with humiliation that this process has and also the loss of the sense of familiar. The performance refuted the place and the private space as the performers moved through, above and under the audience, repealing the security and the sense that “now I’m in my place”. Using the text of Matei Bisniek, we aimed to make the audience feel uncomfortable, and consider about the creation of nations, immigration and the social effects that this issues have. Our aim was not just to raise awareness, but also ridicule the way we choose to define ourselves and consequently our nation and others. Actions during the happening were autonomous and described snapshots from the experiences of different people on the borders of nations and thoughts.


Ioanna Neofytou website: ioannaneophytou.com