Situation Rooms

Situation Rooms gathers together 20 people from various continents whose biographies have been shaped by weapons and scenarios of intimidation. On a film set that recreates the globalized world of pistols and rocket-propelled grenades, of assault rifles and drones, and of rulers and refugees, Rimini Protokoll have developed a parcoursfor 20 audience members equipped with iPads and headphones, who wander the rooms following the narratives of the 20 protagonists via films shown on their displays. They become integrated into the set itself, filled with unexpected neighborhoods and intersections. The audience ensnare themselves in a network of incidents, slipping into the identities and perspectives of the various protagonists. They gradually become entangled in the film set’s labyrinth, each individual becoming part of the re-enactment of a complicated, elaborate multiperspective “shooting”.

Rimini Protokoll’s work examines issues in contemporary society and searches for new possibilities in theatre. The audience wanders around the rooms, re-living the realities narrated by a range of people related to the theme of weapons. The iPads the audience/par ticipants hold in their hands throughout the work are not merelydevices for displaying documentary video, nor are they just the means of navigation for a role-playing game. They are hi-tech devices for revealing the realities of each interviewee. The overall work is a stage for sharing the separate realities of each audience member/participant while they are together in the same here and now. The fundamental approach of the team of artists in their choice of theme, the film set space, and how they position the audience/participants in the artwork realizes serious artistic expression utilizing contemporary technology to an astounding degree of perfection. (MIWA Masahiro)