Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.11.2018, Blaðsíða 25

Marble Crowd’s spatial story-
teller, Tinna Ottesen, chimes in:
“In Hamburg, the venue became an
important component to the work
because we were given a big stage,
which ended up coming into the
process as a new playing partner.”
Each element in the show gets invit-
ed into the wilderness they create
space for, the stage is non-exempt.
“At the start, the stage will be bare
and naked,” Tinna continues, “and
through the show we will dress it
again.” Taking on the uncertainty
of a naked space is key to their jour-
ney. Saga adds, “We meet a nothing-
ness and from there we build the
story and landscape of the show.”
Finding Themselves
in the Wilderness
Each encounter on the stage leads
to a new path, a new decision as
the performers dance on the line
between improvisation and com-
position. Saga explains, “we explore
variations of this relationship; we
don’t believe that it has to be bi-
nary. Sometimes we know what we
are doing but we don’t know where
it will lead. Other times we know
where we are going but we don’t
know how we are going to get there.
That is the wildness in the work.”
No two shows are identical,
but they stick to the core of the
group’s ambitions. “We are ask-
ing the audience to come with us
on a journey, to use their imagi-
nations and trust us,” says Katrín.
Danger and
Vulnerability
There is a danger in the openness of
improvisation, Katrín says. “There
are real risks in the
show, in terms of
how exactly our
intentions are fol-
lowed th roug h,
which is vital. We
want to be care-
ful that we are not
doing a represen-
tation of moving
a mountain. So,
there have to be
real stakes, real
danger that some-
thing will happen, or that nothing
will happen.”
“There is a suspense in that vul-
nerability,” Tinna adds. “The per-
formance works in this 90-minute
frame because of this suspense.” It
is there that the performers reveal
the magic of vulnerability.
Conquering the Stage
“I think that the reason that it took
us some time to [bring the perfor-
mance to Reykjavík] is because
this is a show for a big stage. We
insist on the stage being big so we
can conquer it,” says Katrín. “This
particular stage isn’t just big in the
physical sense.” Premiering the
show in Reykjavík one year after
their last performance presents
new stakes and dangers for the
Marble Crowd to face. “I think I
will have premiere jitters,” admits
Katrín. “This is our local audience.
We have premiered the work in the
Faroe Islands and Hamburg, but
there is a fresh expectation and ex-
citement about showing the work
here; it’s something very exciting.”
Acknowledging the rarity of an
independent art-
ist-collective pre-
senting its work on
such a large scale,
K a t r í n s h a r e s
their excitement,
“As Moving Moun-
tains is an experi-
mental show, it is
fantastic to per-
form the work in
the National The-
atre of Iceland.”
Saga adds, “We did
three shows in Hamburg and that
in itself was a journey. Now we have
one show.” One show for the most
impossible of voyages.
The Marble Crowd doesn’t balk at
the pressure, allowing themselves
space to play in the wilderness
they create. “Playfulness is seri-
ous,” says Katrín. “It is a political
act to be hopeful and playful in our
current landscape. But we are not
too serious—there is a lot of joy in
this group; that is very important.”
Saga laughs, adding, “it’s hard to
take such an absurd task too seri-
ously.” They shine with a balance
of determination and light-heart-
edness. “Of course in the work we
are attempting to move mountains.
What is open to question is which
mountain, where to move it and
why move it in the first place?”
25The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 20— 2018
Tent, sail, or curtain?
“Playfulness is
serious. It is a
political act to
be hopeful and
playful in our
current land-
scape.”
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