Body Trail

Vienna. An area behind buildings where all the shutters are closed. All of a sudden, human bodies appear, chaotic and unrecognizably folded together against walls, under benches, in corners. The bodies momentarily form a unity with their surroundings. Whereas passersby always define space in the same way -- walking through it, sitting on a bench, leaning against a wall -- a young group of dancers challenge them to think about public space and how they fit into it. Suddenly, the rules that everyone automatically obeys are visible: we walk upright, we sit up and do not lie under the bench, we do not lean against walls. As is always the case when rules are broken, passersby reveal their irritation. It suddenly becomes clear that the space does not allow much else than walking upright and sitting on the benches. And then, just as suddenly, the bodies get up and disappear. The choreography was performed in various places -- Paris, Vienna, Helsinki, Stockholm, Austin, Philadelphia, and London -- and passersby were allowed to react. They could comment on it, whether they were annoyed or enthused, or maybe they just looked on in silence. The goal was to get them thinking. If you see the film, you'll know it works.