On the first night we looked at maps – Los Alemanes del Volga

An intimate documentary performance for ten to fourteen guests around a table about a gay couple, travelling through its family histories, to write its own story. Getting in touch with ancestors who can only be, who they want to be, when they are not at the place where they believe they would belong to.

Mainly in English, partly in German and Spanish

Further versions:
Mainly in German, partly in English and Spanish
Mainly in English and Italian, partly in German and Spanish


Description

The audience is welcomed to their place at the table where photos, maps, documents and a song book are scattered and mate tea is being served. With their documentary performance On the first night we looked at maps – Los Alemanes del Volga the Argentinean-German artist couple Federico & Wenzel Vöcks de Schwindt invite their audience on both a historical and biographical journey.

Following the Volga Germans who emigrated in the 18th century, it traces their passage from the German region of Hesse to Russia, and a hundred years later as they continued their path to the Americas. The performers confront themselves with fragments of past migration and the contradictions of family identity in an always shifting narrative of a couple searching for a queer heritage – and for a homeland that perhaps never existed.


Beschreibung

Das Publikum ist eingeladen, an einem Tisch Platz zu nehmen, auf dem Fotos, Landkarten, Dokumente und ein Gesangbuch liegen, Mate-Tee wird gereicht. Das argentinisch-deutsche Künstlerpaar Federico & Wenzel Vöcks de Schwindt lädt mit seiner dokumentarischen Performance On the first night we looked at maps – Los Alemanes del Volga zu einer gleichermaßen biografischen wie historischen Spurensuche ein.

Den Fährten der Wolgadeutschen folgend, die im 18. Jahrhundert aus dem Hessischen nach Russland auswanderten und 100 Jahre später ihren Weg auf dem amerikanischen Kontinent fortsetzten, setzen sich die Performer mit vergangener Migration und den Widersprüchen familiärer Identität auseinander – im fluiden Erzählfluss eines Paares auf der Suche nach einem “Queer Heritage“ und einer Heimat, die nie existierte.


Research, Text & Performance Federico & Wenzel Vöcks de Schwindt
A production by Vöcks de Schwindt in cooperation with TATWERK | Performative Forschung.


2021 at TD Berlin

Photos: Jana Kießer


2019 at TATWERK | Performative Forschung in Berlin

Photos: Jana Kießer


2021 on the theatre vessel of WUK Theater Quartier in Halle/Saale

Photos: Patrick Jungwirth


2022 at Altofest in Naples (Italy)

Photos: Vicky Solli



Show history

30th October 2022 at 18:00 & 21:00 // Verso Sud // Corato, Bari (Italy)

29th October 2022 at 18:00 & 21:00 // Verso Sud // Corato, Bari (Italy)

28th October 2022 at 18:00 & 21:00 // Verso Sud // Corato, Bari (Italy)

23rd October 2022 // 16:00 & 20:00 // ZeitZeug Festival // Bochum

16th October 2022 at 20:00 // Altofest // Valletta (Malta)

15th October 2022 at 17:00 // Altofest // Valletta (Malta)

14th October 2022 at 20:00 // Altofest // Valletta (Malta)

3rd to 13th October 2022 // Residency // Altofest // Valletta (Malta)

19th June 2022 at 12:30 & 19:30 // Altofest // Naples (Italy)4

18th June 2022 at 19:00 & in addition at 22:00 // Altofest // Naples (Italy)4

17th June 2022 at 20:00 // Altofest // Naples (Italy)4

6th to 19th June 2022 // Residency // Altofest // Naples (Italy)4

31st July 2021 at 16:00 // Kultursommer 2021 // Werk4 // Magdeburg

24th July 2021 at 19:00 & 21:30 // WUK Theater Quartier // Halle/Saale

27th June 2021 at 20:00 & 22:30 // TD Berlin // Berlin3

25th & 26th June 2021 at 22:30 // TD Berlin // Berlin3

21st & 22nd June 2021 at 19:00 & 21:30 // TD Berlin // Berlin3

20th June 2021 at 19:00 & 21:30 // Revival // TD Berlin // Berlin3

24th October 2020 at 11:00 & 13:30 // Szenario – Festival für Darstellende Künste // Lüneburg // Originally scheduled for May 2020

06th to 13th September 2020 // Festival Opera Prima // Rovigo (Italy) // Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic

23rd to 25th July 2020 // FURORE – International festival for young theatre // Ludwigsburg // Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic2

20th May 2020 at 16:00 & 20:00 + 21st May 2020 at 16:00 // Performing Arts Festival Berlin 2020 // Selected for the Newcomer’s Platform Introducing… // Theaterdiscounter // Berlin // Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic1

16th & 17th May 2020 // Szenario – Festival für Darstellende Künste // Lüneburg // Postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic

14th & 15th February 2020 at 18:00 & 20:30 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

31st January & 1st February 2020 at 18:00 & 20:30 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

1st & 2nd November 2019 at 19:00 & 21:30 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

19th October 2019 at 19:00 & 21:30 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

7th September 2019 at 18:00 & 20:30 // Premiere // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

1 During the festival’s online edition Performing Arts Festival Berlin@home a video recording of the performance was available on demand in the festival’s Digital Showroom. // Based on the performance the festival invited us to create Instructions for those at home #1.
2 Instead of the analogue festival we were invited to participate in the festival’s online edition as speakers in two online discussions on ‚Digital Theatre – Void and Vision‘ as well as with a video statement.
3 The revival in cooperation with TD Berlin, funded by the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa des Landes Berlin. Media partner is taz.die tageszeitung.
Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa taz. die tageszeitung
4 The participation at Altofest 2022 was made possible thanks to the auspices of the Goethe-Institut Neapel.

Goethe-Institut Neapel


This production is available for touring. For further information please contact us.