Towering shapes staggering in the crepuscule, the stage’s back wall turns into a black hole, a piece of fabric seems suspiciously animate, yet it is hard to discern which bodies actually do house a heartbeat. “Camouflage” is an ingenious game of hide-and-seek in which the invisible appears and perception is put to the test. Cologne choreographer Özlem Alkis sketches a small world between a joke and an eerie atmosphere, a world in which silhouettes, movement and material constantly reform each other a new, and the four performer’s bodies themselves come under scrutiny. How do we perceive something, and what do we hold to be true? It becomes clear quite swiftly that seeing with one’s own eyes may not be the most reliable source for true facts. Rather, an underground information flow is blooming here.

Duration: 40 Min.

Artistic Direction, choreography: Özlem Alkis

Dramaturgy: Anais Emilia Rödel, Katarina Kleinschmidt

Creation, dance: Jennifer Döring, Karoline Strys, Susanne Schneider, Clara Marie Müller

Light: Katja Rivas Pinzon

Music, sound design: Axel Alfredo Pulgar

Stage, design, installations: Johanna von Monkiewitsch, Klaus Kleine.

A piece by Özlem Alkis, supported by Kunststiftung NRW, Akademie der Künste der Welt – Köln and Kulturamt der Stadt Köln. In cooperation with ehrenfeldstudios e.V. and amber, art and technology platform – Istanbul.

Photographs: Tessa Langhans, Klaus Kleine.