Vöcks de Schwindt

Regieduo für Performance, Schauspiel und Musiktheather

An intimate documentary performance for ten to fourteen guests around a table with 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 version: Mainly in German, partly in English 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.


Photos of the version 2019 at TATWERK | Performative Forschung

Photos of the version 2021 at TD Berlin

Photos: Jana Kießer

https://vimeo.com/415651678


Research, Text & Performance Federico & Wenzel Vöcks de Schwindt

A production by Vöcks de Schwindt, in cooperation with TATWERK | Performative Forschung.
Thank you to Esther Samuels-Davis for drawing the figures for the toy theatre.


Show history:

* 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.
** Instead of the analogue festival we were invited to participate in Screaming into the void with a brief digital statement in form of a video as well as in two online discussions on Digital Theatre – Void and Vision.
*** 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


Information for theatres and festivals


This production is available for touring. For further information please click on the link above and contact me.

An intimate documentary performance around a table
about a queer couple, travelling through
its family histories, to write its own story.

Mainly in English, partly in German and Spanish

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


 

2019 at TATWERK | Performative Forschung in Berlin

Photos: Jana Kießer


2021 at TD Berlin (Pandemic version)

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

Upcoming November 2024 // Revival // Place & Dates t.b.a. // Berlin

Upcoming November 2024 // Place & Dates t.b.a. // Stuttgart

2023 // Argentina Premiere // El Galpón de Guevara //Buenos Aires (Argentina)6

2023 // 50th Performance // LICHTHOF Theater // Hamburg5

2022 // Verso Sud // Corato, Bari (Italy)

2022 // ZeitZeug Festival // Bochum

2022 // Altofest // Valletta (Malta)

2022 // Italy Premiere // Altofest // Naples (Italy)4

2021 // Kultursommer 2021 // Werk4 // Magdeburg

2021 // WUK Theater Quartier // Halle/Saale

2021 // Revival // TD Berlin // Berlin3

2020// Szenario – Festival für Darstellende Künste // Lüneburg

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

2020 // FURORE – International festival for young theatre // Ludwigsburg // Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic2

2020 // Performing Arts Festival Berlin 2020 // Selected for the Newcomer’s Platform Introducing… // Theaterdiscounter // Berlin // Cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic1

2020 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

2019 // TATWERK | Performative Forschung // Berlin

7th September 2019 // 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
5 The guest performances were realised by the Netzwerk Freier Theater – this project is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media within the program „Verbindungen fördern“ by the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V.
Netzwerk Freier Theater Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste
6The guest performances were funded by the Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt des Landes Berlin. The performances in Buenos Aires were presented unter the titel La primera noche miramos mapas.
Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt



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