LAB BLA BLA appears at this point of our journey as another reason for the connection between Art and Science, but this time with a special focus on language. Both poetry and science use words to communicate, but the different goals that guide them create deep differences in the meaning of the same word. In science, we recognise the cultivation of the accuracy of meaning, which is a necessity linked to its basic reproducibility mechanism. In poetry, we recognise the need to multiply meanings, to play with them sometimes to the point of subversion. In both, we recognise the capacity to add new words to our lexicon.
With the intention of exploring poetry influenced by the science advance, either through the introduction of new words or through scientific themes and concepts, this event will explore texts by Miroslav Holub (1923-1998), a Czech poet and immunologist. Basically a proposal to read and rewrite the knowledge that science builds. Part of the text was created by the interaction with technology, through the use of mechanisms of semi-random text generation supplied by Holub’s poems translated by Manuel Portela.
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Casa das Artes da Fundação Bissaya Barreto | Coimbra
January 21st to 23rd and 25th to 30th and February 1st to 5th, 2011 | 9:30pm
Age rating | 12+
Running time | 1h30
Playbill
“The fact that I cannot imagine the present moment has always worried me. By the present moment I mean a conscious individual state or process, an experience; the larger scale present is rather easier to grasp. What is a moment, what is this moment, in which i evidently exist, unlike nature, which according to Whitehead’s famous quotation does not exist in a moment?(…)”
“Naturally, the discovered dimension of the psychological present moment could have considerable practical consequences. For instance, in the arts it would be like a universal key. Every musical composition, especially of classic or romantic tradition, has its basic tempo, which the musician either keeps or breaks. This tempo should be in some relation to the dimension of the present moment. Musicologists acquainted with the above-mentioned psychological findings have so far examined Mozart’s music. Several independently run tests have demonstrated that Mozart’s musical motifs average two to three seconds.(…)”
“And: how long are we happy? Using my well-tested and reproducible method of taking off tight shoes, I cannot say I was happy for ten minutes after taking them off. Maybe those few seconds, followed by a reflection in the way of – oh, great, and also, damn, those shoes are tight! And another couple of seconds…(…)”
Excerpts of “The Dimension of the Present Moment and Other Essays” (Miroslav Holub), Translation by Manuel Portela.
Discussion and Ideas Alexandre Lemos, Emanuel Botelho, Laetitia Morais, Manuel Portela, Mário Montenegro, Rui Simão, Tiago Serra
Playwright Miroslav Holub translated by Manuel Portela and adapted by Mário Montenegro
Direction and Cast Mário Montenegro
Video Laetitia Morais
Original Soundtrack and Sound Design Emanuel Botelho
Lighting Design and Technical Direction Rui Simão
Set Design and Wardrobe Joana Cardoso
Technology Lab Coordination Tiago Serra
Image Sente Design
Technical Operation Emanuel Botelho, Guilherme Barbosa, Laetitia Morais, Rui Simão e Tiago Serra
Hair Design Carlos Gago
Stage Photography Francisca Moreira
Video Registry João de Almeida
Executive Production Alexandre Lemos, Cassilda Pascoal, Emanuel Botelho
With the Support of
Ministério da Cultura | DG Artes
Fundação Bissaya Barreto
Ilídio Design
MAFIA – Federação Cultural de Coimbra
Rádio Universidade de Coimbra
