Stefan Kaegi
Rediscovering the environment through theatre
“The questions we have to look at are: How will we be adapting? What do we leave behind for the others?” Artist Stefan Kaegi produces documentary theatre plays, audio-interventions and works in public spaces. Together with Helgard Haug and Daniel Wetzel, Stefan stages productions under the label Rimini Protokoll in Berlin, which received the Silver Lion at the Venice Theatre La Biennale in 2011. Using research and conceptual processes, he often gives voice to ‘experts’ who are not trained actors but have something to teach. In his 2020 Summit talk in Verbier, Stefan explained how he intends to expand the means of theatre to create new perspectives on reality. Past projects of his theatre company Rimini Protokoll, such as the World Climate Change Conference simulation, call for the participation of the audience and aim to shed light on the complexities of contemporary issues like the climate emergency. At the Resource Hungry Summit, Stefan discussed the necessity to investigate how the arts can be transformed towards a more sustainable model. He asked: “How will we transform our industries?” The latest work of Rimini Protokoll that is attempting to do so, consists of The Walks, an app with a series of 10 audio experiences consisting of 20-minute walks. Each walk refers to familiar places in a city and can be experienced simultaneously by people in different cities at similar locations. By inviting participants to rediscover and interact with the environment in new ways, The Walks connects
individuals around the world via the fundamental human action of walking. As we all know, walking in public spaces has become particularly relevant during the pandemic as one of the few COVID-19-proof activities. The Walks transforms this ritual of walking into a theatrical scenario, from staged walks in parks and supermarkets to timed interactions on riverbanks. The app turns familiar places into ‘stages’ through storytelling, dialogical situations, choreographic discoveries, and music. The Walks will be released on 24 July. The link to download the app will be available on the Rimini Protokoll’s website.
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