About this Event
× VIRTA, E X C H A N G E
On 12 November at 4bid Gallery in Amsterdam, the commons will bring its collective enquiry into Capitalist Folklore, to VIRTA, a performance drawing on Finnish and Karelian mythology. The exchange continues in London, on 27th and 28th November the exchange with presentations at Chisenhale Studios and XYZ Kensal.
- VIRTA is a performance that explores the quieter, often unspoken corners of the self. Hybrid between a concert, a real-time composed dance and a poetry reading, the work is loosely inspired by the Underworld of Finnish and Karelian mythology (The Kalevala), looking at how we navigate fundamental life experiences—relations, the search for knowledge, and an inevitable influence of what surrounds us.
The piece, made in close collaboration with and performed by Emily Welther, Artémise Ploegaerts, Tashi Iwaoka, Katarina Kadijevic, and Simona Piras, moves in scenes, shifting from quiet vocals and beams of light into movement sections charged by electro-acoustic and bass guitar sounds, before settling into a dimmer, more reflective space of memory.
-
What are the myths and underworlds of contemporary urban life? In dialogue with VIRTA and its exploration of the underworld through Finnish and Karelian mythology, the commons explores what mythology looks like now: a landscape shaped by capitalism, machines, memes and desire.
Capitalist Folklore imagines a contemporary underworld populated by gods of money, data and desire, where memes become mythology, screens shape reality and the absurdities of everyday life take on a life of their own. Audiences are invited into an evolving world shaped by the rituals, contradictions and power structures mimicking contemporary life.
The commons’ collective enquiry, combining video, audio and interactive performance was developed in London through shared conversations and experimentation, with Memphis Fleming, Nambi Kiyira, Edwin Mingard, Kaan Salih & LaToyah Gill.
Event venue & nearby stays
Chisenhale Studios, 64-84 Chisenhale Road, London, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.