The 2016 Barents Spektakel Opening Show reflects the on our cultural heritage and draws a line between the fragility of our past and the uncertainty of the future. The spectacular performance consisting of fire, sculptures, music and dance comments on the 7000 year old petroglyphs recently discovered outside Kirkenes, in an area that may soon be used for heavy industry.
The rock carvings, discovered last autumn, belong to the oldest artistic expression of the indigenous people ever found in Northern Norway. The illustrations carved into rock faces tell the encrypted story of our place and will be brought to life during the spectacular Opening Show for the Barents Spektakel 2016.
Taibola Assemble, an artist group from Arkhangelsk, will bring the petroglyphs to new life by building them from wood into sculptures of a miraculous size. These moving sculptures are combined with visual impressions presented from the Dutch street theatre company, Close Act with music by the drummer collective DrumTamTam from Murmansk and Crescendo Choir from Kirkenes. The performance will end with the grand sculptures being set on fire – a process that will not destroy them, but rather breath new life into their forms.
How do we read the relics our ancestors left and who feels responsible to retain the information contained?