(Un)stopped Motion

As authoritarian tendencies gain strength, the pressure to conform grows: This interdisciplinary work examines the creeping process of self-control as a reaction to external disturbances. The starting point is the fear of making a mistake, which does not begin with a visible intervention, but slowly inscribes itself into the body’s repertoire of movement until it ultimately leads to a standstill.

The performance begins with a wide, free dance in which the body unfolds openly, intuitively, and expansively. Yet this freedom is increasingly disrupted by an external acoustic impulse: the sound of a falling, shattering cup. The sound is familiar and everyday, yet equally deeply charged with feelings of guilt and carelessness. With each repetition, the impulse burrows deeper into the movement patterns. Each interruption contributes to a sense of unease and increasingly restricts the range of motion.

The performance is filmed from multiple perspectives. These recordings, taken from various vantage points of a surveillance apparatus, are distributed across four projection screens.

(Un)Stopped Motion is an exploration of pausing, of self-restraint, of falling silent—an examination of that threshold where action tips into observation, and movement into mistrust.