conversations in ten questions 15 : Thylda Bares (Collectif 2222)

In this series of interviews we try to get to know the artists who were the artists of İstanbul Fringe Festival 2020 - Online. Our next guest is Thylda Bares from Collective 2222. 

Ayse Draz, Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Mehmet Kerem Ozel, Writer 
[The Turkish translation of this interview is published on art.unlimited]





What is the essence of theatre/dance in your opinion? How would you define contemporary theatre/dance today? 
To open windows. It cannot be only about ideas and nice sentences, it needs to work on stage. 

Is there any artist whom you can describe as "my master", or any person whom you think influenced your art? And if there is such a person, who is s/he? 
Lecoq inspired us as a group. The list is infinite, but I would say that on each show a different company inspires us. Ex: Semiyaniki. 

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works? 
Other shows. Movies. Books and meetings. Other people’s dreams. 

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How? 
The question is what do you transform into. We keep transforming all the time. The question is what transforms us in a postive way. Good art does, it brings another vision and forces us to open our eyes. 

What does “fringe” mean for you? 
Possibilities. Research. Freedom to explore outside of the system. 

Why did you decide to participate in Istanbul Fringe Festival with this particular work of yours? 
Because it is an international show, because it speaks about frontiers and freedom, and because Oytyn Sencan Tokuc is one of our actors. 

If you had to translate the work you are showing at Istanbul Fringe into a single sentence, what would it be? 
Making people laugh is one of the most direct ways to reach out to people and make them feel concerned. 

What will be the impact of showing your work on a digital platform/online rather than encountering the audience in physical space/real time? 
It’s a new experience. I hope people will want to see live performances even more because the screen is not the same experience. 

How do you think that this pandemic which humanity is facing at a global scale today will transform performing arts in the future?
It has already, an online festival would not be imaginable. 

How is the performing arts scene in your country handling/dealing with the challenging conditions posed by the pandemic? 
Those are tricky questions. Because we are in midst of it. Theaters are reopening in France. Will people go and see plays is a second question. And I hope that we will manage to create shows that won’t be only about covid and that people will want to gather again (safely).

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