Performatiivne installatsioon ”Peal kiri peal” / Performative Installation ”Peal kiri peal”

“Peal kiri peal” is a semiotic-based performance project that uses contemporary performing arts and installation approaches to advocate for people’s conventional perceptions and potential ways of entities’ being. This project is a collaboration between two Japanese performing artists active in Europe: Shion Yokoo-Ruttas, based in Estonia, and Berlin-based Keisuke Sugawara. The two engage in the creation through the residency at Koidu Seltsimaja in Viljandi, a building of a former national theatre. Thereafter, the work will be performed in the same venue twice on Thursday, 12 September 2024 between 18:00 and 22:00, and Saturday, 14 September 2024 between 14:00 and 18:00. We question the familiar and conventional perceptions and values with which we unconsciously categorise things in our everyday lives, as well as the state of the performing arts, from the perspectives of semiotics, sociology, and communication studies. With the help of deconstruction, we explore new possibilities and the multifaceted nature of our thinking and things around us, composing various artistic and academic elements to share with the audience, combining videos, sounds, human bodies, and natural and artificial materials. For instance, how would you perceive the phrase “Peal kiri peal,” the title, through its signs? Peal kiri peal is a wordplay in Estonian: peal stands for on top or the surface, kiri for letter, and pealkiri together for title or heading. Therefore, the title can be interpreted if one wishes to make sense, as on top of the title and/or on top of a letter. We are also conscious of the existence of “a black box” between the communicators, i.e., messages sent and perceived frequently mismatched for each to own one’s unique toolkits to comprehend signs. Yet, we hereby give it a try. Our lives and the environments surrounding us are changing daily due to socio-political conditions, including the Internet and the development of AI, besides environmental issues. We believe that in such a situation, there is a strong need for us to construct our own lives and social reality with a more open mind without being entangled by preconceived notions. One survival strategy may have been to build one’s beliefs and principles regardless of truthfulness. Through our artistic activities, we would like to provide an opportunity for those involved in this event to question existing common sense and our unconscious limitations. Ultimately, we hope this experience will enable people to reexamine their way of being and their perspective on social reality. The project “Performative installation “Peal kiri peal”” is a part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 main programme.The activities of the European Capital of Culture is supported by A. Le Coq, Delfi Meedia, Top Auto, and Lux Express.   Shion Yokoo-Ruttas expresses herself and her surroundings in (performing) arts humanely and honestly, exploring theatricality and anti-theatricality in both theoretical and practical terms. Originally from Japan and currently residing in Estonia, she obtained a degree in dance from the Viljandi Culture Academy in 2022 and is currently pursuing her studies in semiotics at the University of Tartu. Shion has directed a solo production titled “Anti-Theatricality’s Appearances in the Estonian Contemporary Performing Arts” and participated in the “1000 Cranes” festival with an installation. She has also performed in productions such as “Lucky Charm” (directed by Karolin Poska, 2023) and “How the Land Lies” (directed by Laura Cemin and Bianca Hisse, 2023). Keisuke Sugawara is a Japanese performing artist/choreographer based in Berlin, Germany, with 10+ years of professional career. His work shares many aspects with installation art while focusing on a physical approach designed for the audience to experience it as a whole space. In 2017, he relocated to Germany to further pursue his career. He has directed more than ten performances, including “Partitur” (2020), “Kukoku no kyouon” (2021) and “(un)gehört” (2023). He was invited to several international art festivals, including the 6th Erbil International Theater Festival in Iraq (2019) and Japonijos Dienos Kaune in Lithuania (2023). His projects have been supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, and the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee. Authors:                      Keisuke Sugawara and Shion Yokoo-RuttasPartner:                        Tartu 2024Technical support:       Tatsumi Ryusui and Rommi Ruttas