HACKING PERCEPTION

In Act I, Servio Olavide uses theater as a way to provoke a visceral reaction. The non-naturalistic representation seeks to open a space where spectators can confront their own identities and the complexities of otherness. Through the metaphor of fire, it evokes feelings of loss, helplessness, despair, nostalgia, and the unsettling sensation that something is being consumed. In addition, it addresses sensitive issues such as animal exploitation and extermination, exposing the cruelty inherent in these practices.

Act I invite us to experience a series of deep and often conflicting emotions. The choice of a non-naturalistic theatrical approach makes the experience intense, emotional and at times ironic, immersing the audience in a reality that confronts them with themselves and prompts them to reflect on their position in the world. Red dust invades the space and in a more abstract context, the invasion of spiritual space occurs when beliefs or values are questioned or challenged in ways not yet explored.

Act II, located in the gallery on the second floor, presents the relics of what happened in the theater, preserving the echoes of the sensations that were experienced in the bodies. In this space, time seems to be suspended, and the stories persist in the absence of their physical representation. Here, the tangible is transcended by seeking a deeper meaning in its own existence.

Bertolt Brecht once said that art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer to shape it. Servio Olavide blurs reality to prevent primary emotions from overriding reason, and in this distancing, everyday actions become uncanny. Strange, but at the same time their own and private actions become dynamic in how many people attend the work.

Servio Olavide generates a deep empathy, a certain degree of intimacy that forces us to reflect on our own vulnerability and how we could be "hacked" in different ways. In this way, it becomes an exercise that expands our perception. The work proposes to the audience to consider the complexities of the human condition and to question their relationship with an often strange but deeply personal present. Each viewer becomes an active participant in this artistic experience, where responses and reflections vary, but all contribute to the construction of a deeper and more enduring meaning.

El reverso de la piel (The reverse of the skin). Martina Servio Olavide. Curator: Agustina Rinaldi. Stage direction: Santiago Cejas. Until 15.11.2023 at Abra Cultural: Hipólito Yrigoyen 840. City of Buenos Aires.