staring at the bin

 

Staring at the bin, 30 performances of 27 music theatre miniatures written for public spaces by Meriel Price, had its world premiere at the Munich Biennale International Festival for New Music Theatre 2016. The accompanying exhibition opened on the 28th May 2016 in a purpose built exhibition space in front of the Muffathalle in Munich.

Staring at the Bin – Berlin Edition the newest development of this project will be performed at the “BAM! – Berliner Festival für aktuelles Musiktheater” (Berlin Festival for Contemporary Music Theatre) 21st – 23rd September 2018. The accompanying exhibtion will take place in Galerie Martin Mertens in the Linienstrasse 148, 10115 Berlin and is open between 15.00 and 21.00. The opening will be on the 21st September from 15:00 with drinks and live performances.

www.bam-berlin.org/staring-at-the-bin

Staring at the bin is where the public, music and theatre directly meet, unannounced and unexpected. A collection of minuscule performances in public spaces, events so tiny they appear to be coincidences or strange chance occurrences.

Musical and theatrical events are seamlessly fused to life in urban spaces, distilled to their essence; the rest, the beat, repetition or variation. Day to day life is framed and focussed as it provides the material for intimate interactions.

Meeting eye to eye without an “art” context allows a new relationship, a direct response as all labels are removed, leaving space for ones own meaning. Disturbances in the rhythm of the day force a pause for thought, an opportunity to reinterpret the everyday routines of urban life.

Something for nothing and unexplained, the events are unexpected, heightening awareness, stimulating a more immediate connection to surrounding people, places and occurrences.

In advance of and during the entire festival these mini events are scattered around the festival venues capturing coincidental audiences. These are documented and throughout the festival the exhibition space evolves and develops, a living protocol documenting an ongoing experience. New performances are regularly added to the exhibition so the public has the opportunity to follow the development of the work.

Staring at the Bin – Berlin Edition is produced by “BAM! – Berliner Festival für aktuelles Musiktheater”. BAM! is an initiative of ZMB – Zeitgenössisches Musiktheater Berlin e.V., funded by Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the Schering Stiftung and the Rudolf Augstein Stiftung.