conversations in ten questions 43: Eleni Papaioannou

In this series of interviews we try to get to know the artists who will perform in Fringe Festival Istanbul 2022. Our second guest is Eleni Papaioannou from A(r)CT.

Ayse Draz, Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Mehmet Kerem Ozel, Writer

What is the essence of performance in your opinion?

A performance, for me, is life magnified, reproduced, represented, reoccuring in front of your eyes. The essence of a live performance is the exchange of energy and ideas through movement or words, through images, music and aesthetics. A performance is filled with emotions and motions. It is a shortcut to the creator’s soul and a window to his/her creative mind. That’s why, in my opinion, to watch a performance is something sacred. Something we should really admire, whether we get attracted to it or not.

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How?

I deeply believe that art has the power to transform people and societies and it has been proven many times in the past, in both politically and socially unstable periods. Art is a very delicate tool that can be used to re-shape, re- imagine and re-create the world around us. To help us reinforce the positive impact that we would like to see evolving. Through art people learn to express freely and mostly non-violently. They dive deep inside the mystery of their unknown self and they give life to it on paper, on stage, on the street . Art is here to transform us inside out. We just need to let our body and mind open and allow it to happen!

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your pieces?

Usually when starting to work on a new piece my inspiration comes from literature, or paintings or merely aesthetic stimuli. Those combined to my personal worries, struggles and hopes. Dreams are the centre of everything. What moves me, motivates me, what makes me want to risk and fail and try again. It is this ongoing driving force that holds my hand and reminds me to look up. So yes, dreams do play a big role in my pieces in one way or the other. For example, in the specific work “Look Little Man” the dream of the characters that appear on stage confronts my dream as a person and artist to reach a high level of social and personal consciousness that will allow an inclusive and collective society.

When do you decide to give a title to a piece you are working on if it already does not have one?

This really varies from work to work. Sometimes the title comes in the beginning, as I imagine and I make the first steps into researching ideas for a piece, and then it might not change till the end. And sometimes the title evolves in sync with the creative process of the work. It tends to adapt and change together with the meaning and essence of it.

Are there any artist or person whom you think influenced your art most? And if there is such an artist or person, who?

Generally there are many artists whose work I really admire, either because of its artistic value or political and social impact. Art that has once spoken to you definitely stays within and influences the way you think, live and create. So, some of these people from the fields of dance, literature, visual arts and music are: Mona Hatoum, Bertolt Brecht, Rene Magritte, Pina Bausch, Maguy Marin, Konstantinos Xenakis, Luca Silvestrini, Steve Lambert, Julyen Hamilton, David Zamprano and Thomas Steyaert.

When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist?

To communicate the truth. To talk about the things that are disturbing. To reveal not to cover. To create art that shouts not that whispers. To move people through my work. To create questions and offer choices. To start discussions about everything. Amongst everyone. To re-empower the people. To reunite our inner sources. To Act and re-ACT.

What does ‘Fringe’ signify for you?

The Istanbul Fringe festival is like a big celebration for the performing arts. It unites artists from all over the world and offers them a space to express and talk about what is important to them through their art. It definitely signifies unity and solidarity! It signifies humanity.

Why did you decide to participate in the Istanbul Fringe Festival particularly with ‘Look, Little Man!’?

I believe that it is a piece that speaks no language. Physical theatre allows the body to communicate meanings in a universal way. Therefore “Look Little Man!” seemed to be well suited for the Istanbul Fringe Festival and we are very happy to present it for the first time outside of Greece!

Your piece is an adaptation of the novel Listen, Little Man! by Wilhelm Reich. What drives you to be inspired by this work?

The novel “Listen, Little Man” by Wilhelm Reich is a very small but complex and intricate book, that points to the human kind in a very didactic way and makes it confront all that made humanity unbearable. When I read the book I felt uncomfortable to be put into this position, I felt guilty of all the destruction that humans caused to themselves and the society and at the same time I felt ready to do something about it. As a result our work is filled with complex ideas and connotations about our human and social existence and it imposes the question : “Are we ever going to be not so Little?”

Is there anything particular you would like to tell the Istanbul audience before they experience your piece?

We would like the audience to experience the work from their perspective, whether they have read the book or not. It is important to let yourself dive into the world that we create in front of you and decide where and how you exist in it. And then… maybe ask yourself why! 

[The Turkish version of this interview was published in unlimited.]