Article
Russian Engineering Theatre
Miracles of visual poetry
Absurdist theatre group Akhe from St. Petersburg pushes theatre to its limits. Challenging theatrical creativity with extreme minimalistic props and funding; this avantgardistic troupe explodes on stage. Their shows are in a constant state of flux and sometimes change from performance to performance. The constant variable in their work is honesty; which makes for dymanic ritual and mesmorizing visual theatre.
Akhe was founded in St.Petersburg in 1989 by Maxim Isaev and Pavel Semchenko both from a visual art background and fomer members of Boris Ponizovski´s Yes- No theatre group. Isaev and Semchemko created a theatre collective that specialised in explosive ? happenings? - often staged in parks or other public settings. The ritual like performances commenced in the area of fine arts and film and quickly gianed fame in the art society of moscow and St. Petersburg. Isaev and Semchenko were joined in 1999 by the actress Yana Tumina and The Russian Engineering Theatre Akhe was born.
While Isaev and Semchenko , still active in the art-world, participate in exhibitions and work as painters and designers ; the Akhe group take part in varoius theatre projects in Russia and abroad. In Russia Akhe has collaborated with groups such as Slava Polunin , Derevo and Formal Theatre as well as Dutch Lantaaren , Austrian Toihaus and Project Teatr from Germany.
Akhes theatre works with text as an object and creates performances that are true ritual which offers an image of the world where everything is connected and seperate. Substances , elements , people, space and surface all cohabit and coexist One of their more performed pieces is ? White Cabin? which creates a climate of contrasts . The actors present a series of imaginative episodes and use the artistic tools of silent cinema and avantguarde. The performance casts the audience in a perplexed emotional state , confronted with the alienation and solitude of mankind Akhes theatre has been describes as a theatre that creates souls for objects and interchanges cause and effect. The artistic and unmistakable russian chaos of Akhe is a force majeur of the theatre world.
While Isaev and Semchenko , still active in the art-world, participate in exhibitions and work as painters and designers ; the Akhe group take part in varoius theatre projects in Russia and abroad. In Russia Akhe has collaborated with groups such as Slava Polunin , Derevo and Formal Theatre as well as Dutch Lantaaren , Austrian Toihaus and Project Teatr from Germany.
Akhes theatre works with text as an object and creates performances that are true ritual which offers an image of the world where everything is connected and seperate. Substances , elements , people, space and surface all cohabit and coexist One of their more performed pieces is ? White Cabin? which creates a climate of contrasts . The actors present a series of imaginative episodes and use the artistic tools of silent cinema and avantguarde. The performance casts the audience in a perplexed emotional state , confronted with the alienation and solitude of mankind Akhes theatre has been describes as a theatre that creates souls for objects and interchanges cause and effect. The artistic and unmistakable russian chaos of Akhe is a force majeur of the theatre world.
Author: Annika Salomonsson
Works
Wet Wedding (SEAS project)
Production / Performance,
2005
Wet Wedding invents an entire universe of constructions and mechanisms to accommodate a story about the human destiny. A performance without words, it finds language in mesmerizing images, cooking ingredients and absurd objects. There is even a >>sea<< on stage, which carries the dramatic dialogue between characters, including a message sealed in a fish. Outdoor performance, in collaboration with Alexej Merkoushev.
Wet Wedding is part of SEAS/Stockholm 31 aug-4 sept and SEAS/Podgorica (Montenegro) 17-21 sept.
Plug-n-Play
Production / Performance,
2002
Postindustrial cabaret - like a "club"performance with DJ music
Sine Loco
Production / Performance,
2001
A performance journey - International project with the Arena festival
60 Minutes Summertime
Production / Performance,
2000
International project performed at the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki for the Helsinki Capital of Culture 2000
Pookh And Prakh
Production / Performance,
1999
First performance was 1999 - this is still an active part of the AKHE reportoire.
De Profundis
Production / Performance,
1998
Series of site-specific performances at hte Art centre Poushkinskaya 10.
White Cabin
Production / Performance,
1996
Performance first performed in 1996
Catalogue of Hero
Production / Performance,
1995
performed 1995-97 this was AKHE´s first stage production
Merits
First Prize at Edinburough Fringe Festival 2003
Projects
This artist took part in the following project(s) organized/funded by the culturebase.net partner institutions.
SEAS/Second Wave 2005
(19 January 05 - 19 January 07)
