Rhone — Aal Bachforelle Gründling Groppe

* from the research and from script *

background and processing of the performance

Every day, streams of water, vehicles and people cross at the bridge at the Rhone crossing from Sierre to Chippis. I counter these flows of time with a counter-movement on the bridge:

I unload utensils from the back of a car, place them on the bridge and at the same time present them to the public waiting there while walking back and forth. While walking, I put on a sports climbing harness, then, as I stroll past, a fishing boot and, a little more awkwardly, the second one, then I carry a rolled-up rope onto the bridge and place it on the ground, and also a radio CD player.

To start with, I put on a blues CD by John Lee Hooker. I let the carpet slide over the railing in the middle of the bridge at one end of the rope, just above the surface of the water. I attach the other end of the rope to my climbing harness. With rope and body measurements I explore the bridge: On the narrow pedestrian passage, which is separated from the roadway over the bridge by a railing, I move away from the middle of the bridge and from the bystanders step by step with tactile, careful movements. The rope always remains taut and secures me while I obviously move at an angle; sometimes I lie flat on the ground, then again I stand and walk on the railing, constantly changing the length of the rope until it stretches diagonally through the bridge passage. The bystanders walk with me or remain at a distance, passers-by cross the bridge quickly or also linger for a moment.

The whole time, John Lee Hooker sings the blues. Then I turn off the music and climb onto the railing, balance up and down and announce this performance as a «performance pour les poissons (a performance for the fish)». I call out the names of the fish that inhabit the Rhone: EEL BROWN TROUT GUDGEON BULLHEAD ... Then I pull the carpet back onto the bridge, unroll it and get rid of my fishing boots and climbing harness. The music of John Lee Hooker is played again. I improvise to it with dance-like movement, pulling the unrolled carpet several times to a different spot. Finally, I invite the audience to dance along, which brings a cheerful mood.

research on fish species in river Rhone   ...  performance script

publication in German

 text about the lecture in the publication «Paysage son image», edited by Sibylle Omlin