i (to be defined)

Benno Steinegger has spent two years interviewing a wide range of people about a common subject: himself. Responses to his request “describe me” were as diverse as the relationships he shared with his subjects: from his physician, who spoke about his blood test, to his mother, who went through his biography, to a shaman who based his description of Steinegger on his own spiritual visions. Listening back to those interviews it became clear that this was a journey of discovery of the artist’s own identity: Who am i, who can i be, and how do the viewpoints of external observers differ from the perception i have of myself?

The starting point of i (to be defined) is the reconstruction of Benno’s identity through the eyes of people who know him. This process led to an investigation of the boundaries of his identity, a refusal to take for granted characteristics which had previously seemed clear and well-defined. By translating this information into physical and vocal exercises, the process attempts to explore the possibility of deep personal transformation.

Just like Parsifal, who found the Holy Grail only after listening Trevrizent the hermit’s describe him to himself, we can only discover our true identity after having investigated all aspects of it, including those aspects which are most obscure.

credits

Direction: Benno Steinegger
Dramaturgy: Simona Bonacina
Collaboration direction: Luca Camilletti, Colyne Morange
Sound design: Riccardo Fazi
Collaboration music: Andrea Comandini
Vocal training: Francesca della Monica
Collaboration costumes & scenery: Francesca Grilli
Technique & light: Valeria Foti
Graphics: cakesandbunches.net
Production: Codice Ivan
Production collaborator: Kinkaleri spazioK.prato
Co-production: Festival Transart, Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen, wpZimmer
Artistic residency: Spazio K (Prato-IT), Festival Aterteater (Val Badia-IT), Vooruit (Gent-BE), Kaaitheater (Bruxelles-BE), Pianofabriek (Bruxelles-BE), Centrale Fies (Dro-IT), wpZimmer (Anversa-BE)
With the support of Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, Regione Trentino//Alto Adige, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio, WPZimmer, European Cultural Foundation & Step-Travel-Grants
Special thanks to Roberta Dapunt and Lois Anvidalfarei, Anna Destefanis, Jessica Glause, Leonardo Mazzi, Satelliti (Andrea Polato & Marco Dalle Luche), and all the people who made an interview.