Duel? Two! One facing the other, in listening and in action. Both a meeting and a collision, all in relation to three wooden sculptures: totems to be adored and to be overthrown.

Visual Art meets Performing Art, wood meets flesh. The mutual roles of contemplation and motion in the search for a possible relationship and synergy between two distinct works of art; one being material and wooden and  the other being human and biological.

On imagining the three totems as bearers of transcendent entities we have placed, one at a time, three different forms of humanity in front of them, these forms identifiable as three different and successive generations.

Our inspiration has come from The Book of Genesis, referring to the very first part in particular, the so-called Biblical Prehistoria.

THREE ACTS WITHOUT INTERVAL.

“.......and they shall be one flesh” ACT ONE

The rectangular shaped Totem (the Tree of knowledge of good and evil) is placed on stage in relation to a performing couple, a man and a woman, who are sucked into a vortex and hurled backwards in time, called  away from our present day to represent the very first man and woman. THE FIRST GENERATION.

“Am I my brother's keeper?” ACT TWO

The first couple produce two sons.

The triangular shaped Totem is placed in front of :THE SECOND GENERATION.

“Adam is my father, myself and my son.” (B. Pascal) ACT THREE

The round,circular shaped Totem (….make thee an ark of gopher wood.”)

This chapter refers to the Universal Flood from which new life is born:the performers are children and adolescents. THE THIRD AND LAST GENERATION. (M.A)

DUEL is the relationship between individual and myth. It is set in a fairy tale atmosphere, in the place where the Totems, bearers of primitive knowledge, keep bringing us back. The unravelling of stories between males and females, the “first” men and women, the status quo of humanity, the ancient roots of our common unconscious, origins which since the beginning of time have always run through our culture,art and faith.  

The Totem is the navel for the stage, it becomes a tree, like the world's axis from top to bottom. A spiteful and dancing God, the ark of salvation and a more personal God who can be seen in man.

DUEL is also the precious continuation of our B A M B I N I Dance Company who perform the last part of this production entirely. Little artists who are generous and brave as they seize hold of the relay baton and sprint on, full of hope, leading us swiftly along the next leg into the future. (A.B)

This project is also thanks to Fabio Zamboni who made our meeting with the South Tyrolean Sculptor Adolf Vallazza possible.