Press Release, July 2009 metropolis – festival for art and performance in urban space

– FESTIVAL FOR ART AND PERFORMANCE IN URBAN SPACE

Public space productions don’t only create unique moments but also communicate our perception of the diversity and the contradictions of the metropolis. Many of the events are free of charge this year, due to the very fact that they take place in public spaces.

“METROPOLIS’ fundamental vision of making the city into an artistic axis and transforming ‘the city into a stage and the stage into the city’ has been realised this year. 21 very diverse Danish and international productions created especially for, with and in the city of Copenhagen.”

METROPOLIS presents a series of diverse performances and art installations, where the artistic essence of the work is the metropolis. This is not just about works by Danish and international guest performers, but also about works that will either make their debut at METROPOLIS or have been especially developed for METROPOLIS and Copenhagen.

This year the festival will open on 1 August at 9.30 pm with a magnificent staging of the Copenhagen lakes, where the French street theatre company ILOTOPIE will display their poetic firework show WATERFOOLS. This may well be the summer’s biggest outdoor art event for the whole family and with place for approx. 10 000 people along the banks of Sortedamssøen.

The inner city streets will be turned into stage settings. The Argentinean director MARIANO PENSOTTI will transform the mythical Blågårdsgade into a narrative cityscape. Experience the Mexico City street hawkers in Copenhagen’s historical city centre, when fourteen Mexican artists create installations and performances around Nikolaj Plads and Kgs. Nytorv. Or, take a trip to the outskirts of Copenhagen and experience the Dutch artist LOTTE VAN DEN BERG’s production in a deserted urban landscape. The prize winning architectonic masterpieces VM Mountain and Tietgenkollegiet in Ørestad create the stage for the French aerial acrobats COMPAGNIE 9.81 and Danish TEATRO GLIMT.

Experience the city’s secret, curious and overlooked places on unusual city walks by JAY PATHER and DOUNG JAHANGEER, with inspiration from Cape Town and Durban. See the city’s potential for play with the French dance company EX NIHILO, or go on a ’do it yourself’ walk with Danish HELLO!EARTH.

METROPOLIS gathers 21 Danish and international productions in one of Europe’s most groundbreaking festivals of urban art and performance from 1^st – 31^st August 2009. The budget for METROPOLIS 09 is approx. 7 million DKK. The Danish Arts Council’s Committee for Performing Arts, the Danish Arts Council and the City of Copenhagen provide the primary funding.

For press photos, interviews with the project partners or artists involved, please contact Communications Coordinator, Karen Toftegaard, Copenhagen International Theatre on +45 2298 6743 or kt@kit.dk.

With kind regards
Trevor Davies & Katrien Verwilt

Artistic directors

Copenhagen International Theatre

Also have a look at the FACTS BOXES:

1. 
   METROPOLIS 2009
   
2. 
   METROPOLIS 2007-2017
   
3. 
   COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE
   

1^st August: ILOTOPIE – ”Waterfools” on Sortedams Søen

7^th – 8^th August: LIVE ART INSTALLATIONS – ”Ubådsballet” (submarine ballet) in Copenhagen Harbour.
City walks:

3^rd – 6^th + 9^th. August: JAY PATHER – ”Blind Spot” meeting place at Nørreport Station

12^th – 16^th August: BLAST THEORY –”Rider Spoke” in the Søndermark area, Frederiksberg

20^th – 22^nd August: GUSTAVO CIRÍACO / ANDREA SONNBERGER – ”Here Whilst We Walk” meeting place at Karrierebar, Copenhagen V

24^th – 28^th August: DOUNG JAHANGEER – ”Citywalk” meeting place: Town Hall Square, by the bus terminal

25^th – 29^th August: HELLO!EARTH – ”Tomorrow everything will be different” meeting place to be announced

14^th – 16^th August: MARIANO PENSOTTI – ”La Marea” on Blågårdsgade, Copenhagen N

25^th – 29^th August: LOTTE VAN DEN BERG / COMPAGNIE DAKAR – ”Wasteland”, in a desolate area on the edge of the town, meeting place will be announced
Installations in the city:

12^th – 17^th + 19^th – 22^nd August: 14 MEXICAN URBAN ARTISTS –”Chilango Hawkers” at Nikolaj Plads and Kgs. Nytorv

18^th – 20^th August: BERLIN – ”Moscow” at Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads

22^nd – 23^rd + 26^th – 30^th August: ARCHITECTS OF AIR –”Amococo” in Byparken, Ørestad City

5^th – 8^th + 10^th – 12^th August: ERIK POLD –”The Reality Game” by Niels Brock, Kultorvet

5^th – 7^th August: EX NIHILO – ”Trajets de vie, Trajets de ville” (”The routes of life, routes in the city”) on Enghave Plads, Axeltorv and Town Hall Square
The city as a playground and an oasis for contemplation:

10^th – 15^th + 17^th – 22^nd August: TEATERKUNST – ”Wall2Wall”, meeting place: Frue Plads by the church.

21^st – 23^rd August: PUBLIC EYE: COLLECTIVE WORK by SARA GEBRAN –”Verticale Exile” at Absalonsgade 8, Copenhagen V
The stage as the city – The Metropole as an artistic landmark:

6^th – 8^th August: SIGNA – ”The Oracle’s Boat” at Teaterhuset, Elsinore

11^th – 13^th August: THE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION –”Continuous City” at MusikTeatret Albertslund

14^th August – 6^th September: ENRIQUE VARGAS –”City Puzzle” at Republique

28^th – 29^th August: TEATRO GLIMT – ”Alene Sammen – et glimt af en kabaret” at Tietgenkollegiet, Ørestad North

28^th – 29^th August: COMPAGNIE 9.81 –”Coléomur” (”Glued to the wall”) at the Mountain Dwelling, Ørestad City
Facts: METROPOLIS 2007 - 2017

What: METROPOLIS 2007-2017 is 10 years of festivals (uneven years), and development of laboratory projects (even years). Festival and laboratory were launched in 2007 for audience, Danish and foreign artists, established, future and potential partners, press, and last but not least, the city of Copenhagen.

METROPOLIS 2009 will, to a high extent, succeed in the vision of the two paths of the festival – development and presentation of urban art and performance – inasmuch as 8 productions, out of a total of 21 international and Danish productions, saw their first development in the METROPOLIS LABORATORY.

METROPOLIS 2007 spawned 15 different productions presented in and around town. There were a series of  workshops, which had development perspective for the coming years, four installations with sound, pictures, music and bodies in the city, and last but not least, one large opening event in Copenhagen Harbour, (Fritz Lang´s’ ”Metropolis” with live music by Art Zoyd) as well as an outstanding performance in Ørestad City (Circo da Madrugada).

Who: Developed and arranged by Københavns Internationale Teater with primary support from the Arts Council and the Municipality of Copenhagen. Budget approx. DKK 7 mill.

How: METROPOLIS  examines and develops the expression and  power of the city by means of works and processes created by dancers, performers, installation artists, architects and town planners. Read more on www.cph-metropolis.dk

Where and when: METROPOLIS – festival for art and performance in city space takes place 1st – 31^st August 2009 in Copenhagen and surrounding areas. METROPOLIS LABORATORY 2010 is planned for the summer of 2010.

 

Facts: COPENHAGEN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE

 In 2009 the focal point is city space. In addition to METROPOLIS, KIT is project manager on the innovative city development project LYSLYD, which, during the month of August, will present projects in 12 selected spaces in and around Copenhagen. Moreover, KIT is co-organiser of the European travelling art festival Black/North SEAS, which will visit Denmark 4^th – 18^th August. SEAS is presented predominantly in Elsinore and in Helsingborg in collaboration with the street festival PASSAGE09.