The Light Forest

Kapuzinerberg – Sommerszene Salzburg in 2010 and 2011

In this site-specific walk, Mette Ingvartsen choreographs the experience of spectators walking in a forest at night. The walk was a 45 min up hill journey that started at the Mozart sculpture on the Kapuzinerberg and finished at the Franziskischlössl at the top of the mountain. The spectators were invited to follow LED lights that were placed on trees and in bushes throughout the forest. In a big group, like nomadic people, the spectators wandered through the forest, experiencing the transformation of a known nature space. The forest was transformed into a performative site with all its theatrical potential.

“When I was asked what I would do in Salzburg if I were to work site-specifically, I immediately considered the proximity between the city and the surrounding nature. I was struck by the fact that Salzburg is surrounded by mountains, and I was curious to find out what kind of relationship the city’s citizens would have with this natural environment. I was interested in creating a transformative experience in a space that the spectators would already be familiar with. I was also very fascinated by the idea that a performance could utilize a real space as its setting, exploring how to bring out the performative aspects of the forest after dark. The beauty, but also the associations of horror and fear evoked by the forest after dark, were exciting to me. But perhaps more than anything, the concept was about creating a performance that would engage the bodies of the spectators and invite them to participate simply by walking along“ Mette Ingvartsen