DARKROOM
Ljubljana Puppet Theatre | Slovenia

‘Darkroom’ is an object-music cabaret based on ‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ by Hans Christian Andersen’s, which is considered one of his most famous stories, but also the first one not based on a literary source or a folk tale.
In his imagination, Andersen animates flowers, cups and statuettes by attributing a primordial trait to them. If a flower flourishes, it is conceited. In this respect, Andersen’s expression is distinctly puppet-like, since his objects always act as subjects. If a soldier falls off a shelf, he fell because he wanted to escape.
In the same way, ‘Darkroom’ also explores the traits of objects from their perspective and brings them to life in a primal way. The rhythmical text and expressive musical passages and phrases are then woven into an active relationship with them, creating a relationship between minimalism and cacophony, and contrasts between the atmosphere of the tea ceremony and the live animation of the material. And like Andersen, the performance exposes its soldier-viewer to the elements of earth, air, water and fire, but places them in a photography studio, a darkroom.
In this darkroom, objects, animators, and spectators leave memory imprints of events from their city and those from Andersen’s stories. The imprints then literally evolve before our eyes and enter into new relationships. They manifest themselves between granite paving stones, lead spoons, discarded cans and screws. See the world from the perspective of tin soldiers who never wanted to be soldiers.

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