Nathalie S. Fari came up with the idea of her performance Verstilling in May 2010, provoked by the volcanic eruption in Iceland when almost the entire air traffic in Europe came to cessation. She questioned herself, what would happen if people would have to give up flying because the environment no longer allowed it. Out of this question Nathalie S. Fari developed her concept of time and deceleration for her performance, which she defined as a non-movement. The link to the PACKET-SOUP project is the question of an alternative use of resources and the search for what we still need for living.

Claudia Lamas Cornejo: What will happen at the performance Verstilling?
NF: An unusual sense of time. I’ll pass on my temporal space to the viewer. Verstilling will have a traditional time frame, like a piece that is performed on stage. But by slowing down it feels different. Longer actually, but viewers are surprised that everything is already over, because one is accustomed very quickly and very well to slow pace of time.

Claudia Lamas Cornejo: What role does the spectator play in your performance?
NF: A very important role because the spectator is involved indirectly in the work. The spectator is part of the work in the sense that it is with me in the space that is created by slowing down and by the specific atmosphere, and thus the performance is reflected in its altered sense of time. This creates a strong bond. The deceleration must be endured not only by me, but also by the spectators. But as I said, the reactions tend to be those that one is surprised that it’s over already.

Excerpt of the catalogue’s interview conducted by Claudia Lamas Cornejo, Berlin, April 2012

Event Dates: 12.05.2012, Richardplatz – Savvy Contemporary, Berlin, GE/ Project Packet-Soup

Credits: Concept and Performance: Nathalie S. Fari / Photos: a.r.laub