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From the archive · 2013

England: Between The Place & Nightingale [Phase #4]

The Stifani brothers experimenting with projected figures during a rehearsal

We are in the final period of our creative process in London. Today is our last day working at The Place, and we are beginning to feel the piece taking shape within us.

A great deal has happened throughout this process, and no day has been like the one before. Our ideas and intentions keep shifting and taking shape as we research form and content. In the studio, we analyse what has emerged from the process: how form shifts; how changes in content affect it; and how the same form can generate different content.

Our creation with Philippe began last December in Antwerp with the question of appearances and what they mean: the perceptions and ideas one might associate with a picture, a person or a distant memory. The subject is vast and difficult to approach subtly; sometimes it feels as though we are walking a tightrope between two skyscrapers.

For the past three weeks, at The Place in London and at the Nightingale in Brighton, we have been looking for ways to answer these questions—continually constructing, deconstructing and reconstructing our ideas and intuitions. Through open rehearsals and a great deal of feedback, we have defined the spine of the piece and found the right way to communicate our intentions to the audience.

A performer wearing a colourful character sock on the rehearsal floor
Gab Stifani operating a camera in the rehearsal studio
Two collaborators seated in front of a large rehearsal-studio window
A seated figure and a camera silhouetted beside the rehearsal floor

Defining what lies beyond the obvious has been painstaking work, as has finding the keys that might explain and give form to the contrasts within these ideas. It has been a revealing experience, and we would like to thank all the friends and colleagues who supported us in making the show. Without your support, we would not have found the right path.

Today, we move on to the next step: we leave for Newcastle, where we will complete and premiere the project.

We can already feel that this new phase will be more challenging, placing greater emphasis on our relationship with the audience and on the space beyond the defined stage.

It will be two more weeks of intense work, which we approach with appreciation and careful observation.

Philippe is guiding us through the creation of the piece like a cowboy on horseback, while we contribute, follow and play along like children on a roller coaster.

Gab, Luca, Pippo, Sabine and Uli posing together in Studio 10

Looking back at the beginning of the project and seeing where we are now feels like taking a long leap of faith. We want to share how, in the early stages of the idea, we both tried to analyse the subject of appearances through video and experimentation.

What lies behind appearances is another appearance

Double One

To learn more about the project and the ideas behind it, please follow the official blog.