The Angel of History
August 24-25, 2007, The American Living Room Festival, Here Arts Center, New York
Written and Directed by Matt Torney and Ian Russell
Sound by Ian Russell
Lighting by Adam Greene
Set and Costumes by Kara Zeigon
Cast: Graham Sack, Alison Weisgall, Marina Libel, Charles Linshaw
Walter Benjamin took his own life on September 27th 1940. He died trying to escape the spread of fascism in Europe, unable to bear the pressures of the war. For Benjamin, history was something at once terrifying and deeply nostalgic. It lives in objects, memories, sensations, dreams and fantasies. His deeply poetic writings explore the experience of history in the 20th century, and describe 'the state of emergency' that we live in in modern society.
This performance work dissects this 'state of emergency' looking at how history lives in our bodies and our dreams
Here is a link to an essay about the project: http://www.iarchitectures.com/benjamin.html
