Cecilia Levy
Pjäs
In January 2021, reports came of the attack on the US Capitol building, an attempted coup on democracy. News media overflowed with reports and images. As if the past year with the Corona virus wasn’t enough, a sudden, involuntary connection to Lovisa Ulrika's failed coup attempt in 1756 became apparent, since this work was made as an interpretation of the Chinese Paviion at Drottningholm.
Processing the unfolding events, the bad news gradually transformed into working material. The pages from the morning paper, with images of rioting people, looting and vandalizing, were shredded into long, thin strips in the shredding machine, then soaked in water and finally mixed into a grey pulp. Together with a few other ingredients, a paper clay was produced. The mixture was then applied onto shapes and forms built in layered papier mâché technique, adding a tangible layer from the historic event.
Some have painted faces, just like the Chinese dolls. Several layers of gofun, finely ground oyster shells mixed with rabbit skin glue, then sanded and polished until the the surface shimmered.
Slowly, surely, characters evolved.
Silent observers, in dialogue with each other, with history.
Making a scene within the stillness.
