B.Motion at Operaestate Festival: Objects Redefine Performance

The B.Motion section of the Operaestate festival in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, presented three performances that challenge the role of objects on stage, pushing beyond Jean Baudrillard's theories. Chiara Bersani's 'Seeking Unicorns' features a trumpet abandoned on the floor, explored through physical exertion, referencing the myth of the unicorn and Joel Peter Witkin's cruelty. Camilla Monga's 'Quartetto per oggetti' involves performers Pieradolfo Ciulli, Maya Oliva, Stefano Roveda, and Monga herself, where common objects lose functional value and dictate movement through gravity, balance, and sound, with music by LSKA. Babilonia Teatri's 'Calcinculo' returns to raw microphones, lacking lyrical landscapes, with music by Lorenzo Scuda of Oblivion. The show uses Venetian flags, a carousel seat, and fire extinguishers, critiquing consumerism and fear, performed with the help of Bassano's alpini. The festival ran in 2018. The article is by Simone Azzoni, critic and lecturer at IUSVE and Istituto di Design Palladio in Verona.