Francesc Serra Vila is a performance-maker, scenographer, and architect working in the intersection between performance and immersive installations. His practice is driven by an interest in site-specific, relational work, and evolving environments; he explores the notion of collapse and (re)construction as a performative act of creation, questioning established structures and offering other ways of living a “liquid”, evolving and ever-changing world (Z. Bauman). More recently, this research brought him to challenge linearity and explore the overlap and co-existence of different times in intimate one-to-one performances, with a special focus on senior citizens and teenagers.  Since 2013 Francesc has presented work in the UK and abroad, including London (London Festival of Architecture, Richmix, Hackney Showroom, Glow Winter Lights Festival), Birmingham (BE Festival 2019-2022), Cardiff (ArcadeCardiff), Swansea (Volcano Theatre), Brussels (La Bellone – Maison du spectacle), Girona (El Bòlit / Festival Inund’ART 2021), Prague (Prague Quadrennial 2015 and 2019) and Taipei (World Stage Design 2017). 

 

 

Production Title: RECALL/MEMORY THEATRE

 

Role: Artist

 

Production  Response

Francesc created the online performance RECALL during the May 2020 lockdown, wishing to keep his artistic practice alive and connected with audiences at a time of physical distancing and confinement. RECALL reflected how the brain works and how memories are stored. During this one-to-one performance, the participant was invited to answer a simple question; their response triggered a performative action, which eventually connected it to other people’s responses. Each story was a testimony from around the world of experiences during the confinement. Eventually, in 2022, Francesc presented at Taipei MEMORY THEATRE, a site-specific and immersive installation that displayed all the stories previously collected. The title evoked ‘Theatre of Memory’, an ideal architectural structure conceived by Giulio Camillo in the sixteenth century. The journey into this world of memories and hopes was accompanied by an atmospheric sound designed by Alastair Gavin.

 

Year: May 2020–March 2022

 

Location/Venue: Online/Birmingham European Festival 2020, UK tour 2021/Taiwan International Festival of Arts 2022

 

Credits:

Sound design: Alastair Gavin

Photographer: Yu-QUan Lin (National Theatre and Concert Hall, Taipei) and Francesc Serra Vila