FUNDUS THEATER/Theatre of Research, KAPUTT – The Academy of Destruction, London 2017

 

We are not supposed to speak too loudly, to write on walls, to eat too much sugar, to tear our schoolbooks apart, to smash the china, to cut ourselves, to step out of line. We are not supposed to destroy anything. We are supposed to be productive and creative and safe. Children, adults, all of us. Strangely, while we try hard to be good, we see all kinds of things around us being destroyed. So, who decides what is destruction and what is not? Who has permission to destroy? – Sibylle Peters, Theatre of Research.

KAPUTT asked if we can see destruction in a different way if we look at it through the lens of live art. Does live art help us see that destruction is not only about violence, hatred and rage, but can be a cultural strategy that is marvellous, manifold, careful and mindful? KAPUTT explored these questions in a transgenerational team of six children and six adult artists working as equal members. For three days, they experimented, thought and acted together and shared their practices, experiences and concepts of destruction in six public sessions at Tate Exchange. Visitors to KAPUTT were invited to take a trip through the Academy’s facilities: from its reception to its library, on to its assembly hall where they watched the members of the Academy in action, and finally to the common room where they created a research assignment and received their very own KAPUTT diploma. The KAPUTT academicians created a Transgenerational Manifesto of Destruction – a film that can be viewed here. KAPUTT was dedicated to Gustav Metzger (1926-2017).

 

Researchers: Sibylle Peters (FUNDUS THEATER/Theatre of Research)

Co-Researchers: Susan Sheddan (Tate Modern London), Lois Keidan (Live Art Development Agency), Heike Roms, Zoe Laughlin, Martin O’Brien, Malik Nashad Sharpe, Ansuman Biswas, Sam (Jazsam), Rubie (Gurrubie), Splendour & Najiba (Splenjiba), Tolu (Principal Tolu the G.O.A.T.), Ruqiya (R.P.H.D.) and Chese (Red Pool). Hester Chillingworth, Katharina Duve, Zainab (Fidget Zalla) and Tyrell (the acrobatic zombie killer)

Participants: Visitors

Cooperation: Live Art Development Agency (LADA), Tate Families & Early Years

Formats: Heterotopian Zone, Try-out Institution