monsters - Performance

A dimly lit room in which shimmering banners with mysterious humanoid creatures float. A colossal painting that transports you to a dreamlike landscape with strange figures. They lurk in the shadows of a deep forest, appearing calm, powerful and proud. An eerie sound haunts the air. If you listen carefully, you can hear their voices. And if you are patient enough, you might be able to see some bodies moving through this strange universe - disturbing and liberating.

In collaboration with performer Patricio Ruiz (Buenos Aires), painter David Weishaar (Lausanne), composer Tyler Holmes (Los Angeles) and sound artist Lou Drago (Berlin), performer, choreographer and transdisciplinary artist Valerie Reding creates with monsters a dreamlike and haunting multi-sensory space to share the powerful (survival) stories of those who have experienced abuse in interpersonal relationships. Stories that are so often silenced in this society. monsters brings together performance, photography, painting, sound and text in an immersive multi-media stage work, fearlessly reclaiming the monstrosity projected onto those who speak out against (power) abuse and systems of oppression. This eclectic work is a powerful celebration of the liberating power of one's voice, resilience, healing, community, caring - and love. It is also a profound and sensitive reflection on the figure of the monster and the complex entanglements of interpersonal and societal power relations.