21 pornographies
Writing a novel about libertinage from his prison cell in 1785, Marquis de Sade declared that the nature of human passions authorizes crime. This moment in Western modernity marks the moral ambivalence in the bind between sexual liberation and power. While the legalization of pornography in Denmark in 1967 expanded the erotic freedom towards more gender equality, pornography today includes a politically wide range of expressions and uses, from queer and feminist stances to sexualized torture in war. The key to the affective power of pornography lies perhaps in the very root of the word: pernanai (Greek) = “to sell.” It explains how the pornographic “money-shot” operates in the climactic effects of “breaking news,” in the explosivity of action scenes or in brutality of authentic war porn.
Starting from the idea that pornography has leaked into many areas of society, Mette Ingvartsen explores the operations of the pornographic through a collection of erotic and affective materials. Most of them have little to do with explicit sex, yet they show some characteristics of the pornographic: expressions of cruelty, clinical precision, violence and pain, but sometimes also of laughter, excitement and thrill. By mixing physical action with narrative descriptions, a speculative choreography is created. The experiences that the viewer might undergo in this performance extend from imaginary to intense visceral sensations.
Premiere in 2017 at PACT Zollverein, Essen
The Red Pieces
21 pornographies is part of The Red Pieces, an ongoing series of performances in which Mette Ingvartsen explores relationships between sexuality and the public sphere. In it she investigates naked and sexualized bodies and their influence on societal structures. The series momentarily also comprises 69 positions, 7 Pleasures, to come (extended) and the performative conference The Permeable Stage in which a number of artists and theorist were invited to reflect upon, perform and discuss the politics of sexuality and how it travels across borders between public and private space.
Concept & Performance: Mette Ingvartsen
Lighting design: Minna Tiikkainen
Sound design: Peter Lenaerts
Set: Mette Ingvartsen & Minna Tiikkainen
Dramaturgy: Bojana Cvejic
Technical director: Hans Meijer
Assistant choreography: Dolores Hulan
Assistants production: Manon Haase & Elisabeth Hirner
Sound technician: Adrien Gentizon
Company Management: Kerstin Schroth
A production of Mette Ingvartsen / Great Investment
Co-production: Volksbühne (Berlin), PACT Zollverein (Essen), Kaaitheater (Brussels), NEXT festival / Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk), Les Spectacles vivants – Centre Pompidou (Paris), Dansehallerne (Copenhagen), BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen), Julidans (Amsterdam), CCN2 – Centre chorégraphique national de Grenoble
With the support of Nanterre-Amandiers, Centre Dramatique National, Musée de la Danse/Centre Chorégraphique National de Rennes et de Bretagne & Kustenwerkplaats Pianofabriek
Funded by: The Flemish Authorities, The Flemish Community Commission (VGC) & The Danish Arts Council
Texts & interviews
21 pornographies Interview with Mette Ingvartsen21 pornographies & to come (extended) Interview with Mette Ingvartsen
Jul
10,
2024 9:12 AM
2024 |
July 10 - 11 | Julidans, Amsterdam |
Jun
1,
2022 9:12 AM
2022 |
June 1 - 4 | Rising festival, Meat Market, Melbourne |
Dec
10,
2021 9:12 AM
2021 |
December 10 - 12 | New European Theatre Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow | |
| Oct 8, 2021 9:12 AM | October 8 | Centre Chorégraphique National d'Orléans | |
| Apr 17, 2021 9:12 AM | April 17 | Centre Chorégraphique National d'Orléans (postponed) |
Dec
11,
2020 9:12 AM
2020 |
December 11 - 13 | New European Theatre Festival, Meyerhold Center, Moscow (postponed) | |
| Oct 6, 2020 9:12 AM | October 6 - 7 | Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (cancelled) | |
| Aug 6, 2020 9:12 AM | August 6 | Tanzwerkstatt Europe invited by Joint Adventures, Munich | |
| Apr 3, 2020 9:12 AM | April 3 | Centre Chorégraphique National d'Orléans (postponed) | |
| Jan 23, 2020 9:12 AM | January 23 | Mladinsko Theater, Ljubljana | |
| Jan 16, 2020 9:12 AM | January 16 | Festival Ecoute/Voir, Tours |
Dec
14,
2019 9:12 AM
2019 |
December 14 | Festival Cuerpa, Casa Encendida, Madrid | |
| Aug 30, 2019 9:12 AM | August 30 | SAAL Biennaal festival, Tallinn | |
| Jul 24, 2019 9:12 AM | July 24 | Impulstanz, Vienna | |
| Jun 5, 2019 9:12 AM | June 5 - 6 | De Dansweek, Theater Rotterdam | |
| May 16, 2019 9:12 AM | May 16 | Festival: Take Me Somewhere, Glasgow | |
| Apr 26, 2019 9:12 AM | April 26 - 27 | RIMI/IMIR SceneKunst, Stavanger | |
| Mar 12, 2019 9:12 AM | March 12 - 13 | Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht | |
| Mar 9, 2019 9:12 AM | March 9 - 10 | Dansehallerne, Copenhagen | |
| Feb 9, 2019 9:12 AM | February 9 | Side Step Festival, Helsinki | |
| Jan 30, 2019 9:12 AM | January 30 - 31 | Vooruit, Gent |
Oct
26,
2018 9:12 AM
2018 |
October 26 - 27 | Dampfzentrale, Festival: Tanz Bern | |
| Oct 16, 2018 9:12 AM | October 16 - 17 | MDT, Stockholm | |
| Oct 3, 2018 9:12 AM | October 3 - 5 | Performance Space, New York | |
| Sep 12, 2018 9:12 AM | September 12 - 13 | Festival La Bâtie, Geneva | |
| Sep 6, 2018 9:12 AM | September 6 - 7 | deSingel, het Theater Festival, Antwerpen | |
| Jul 6, 2018 9:12 AM | July 6 - 7 | Julidans, Amsterdam | |
| Jun 7, 2018 9:12 AM | June 7 | Sommerszene Salzburg | |
| Apr 1, 2018 9:12 AM | April 1 | Volksbühne, Berlin | |
| Mar 27, 2018 9:12 AM | March 27 - 28 | STUK, Leuven | |
| Mar 22, 2018 9:12 AM | March 22 - 24 | Centre Pompidou, Paris | |
| Mar 9, 2018 9:12 AM | March 9 - 10 | Kaaitheater, Brussels | |
| Feb 14, 2018 9:12 AM | February 14 - 15 | Black Box teater, Oslo | |
| Feb 9, 2018 9:12 AM | February 9 - 10 | BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen | |
| Feb 4, 2018 9:12 AM | February 4 | Volksbühne, Berlin |
Dec
13,
2017 9:12 AM
2017 |
December 13 - 16 | Volksbühne, Berlin | |
| Nov 21, 2017 9:12 AM | November 21 | NEXT Festival/ BUDA, Kortrijk | |
| Nov 17, 2017 9:12 AM | November 17 - 18 | PACT Zollverein, Essen |
