La Conica/Laconica
One of the most interesting offerings this year in Dordrecht was LA CONICA/ LACONICA , a shadow theatre piece using found objects salvaged from the junk piles of Barcelona by Alba Zapater and Merce Gost. With the artists working inside a black chamber, the show was technically very simple. They used two 100-watt halogen hand-held instruments with dimmers. The screen was a white translucent fabric rectangle 30 inches wide by 65 inches high on a vertical format that hinged open for the final sequence, enabling them to cast shadows over the heads of the audience and onto the walls and ceiling of the auditorium. Using a discarded kitchen strainer/liquefier and a traffic cone, they created a planetarium-like starry heaven in motion. Except for two sequences, one using a cut from a Yo-Yo Ma/Bobby McFerrin recording, and the other an Astor Piazzola tango, their visual imagery was inspired by "world music" that fluidly engaged the imaginative involvement of the audience. This piece was an emotionally powerful, original creation evoking the transcendent beauty of the most ordinary objects. The revelation of their technique made me consider discarded everyday objects and materials in a new light.
