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Most stories have an orderly, linear structure to help us understand how it unfolds. Antrianna Moutoula (1994) experiences this structure as restrictive. Mainly consisting of performances, her work connects autobiographical stories to theory. In this process she develops artistic methods for mapping out, and then transgressing, the limitations of language. One of these methods is nonstop languaging. Talking nonstop without a preconceived plan will gradually set a subconscious train of thought in motion: an abundance of words, quotes, experiences, lyrics, theories, and memories. Moutoula says: ‘Rather than being an all-knowing artist who presents something to the audience during my performances, the audience and I are witnessing my thoughts together. It is vital to me that these thoughts are rooted in the ephemeral encounter between performer and spectator.’
For her work, Moutoula is inspired by feminist authors like Hélène Cixous and Clarice Lispector. She also finds inspiration in everyday life, as well as in encounters with women who have dementia. These women are constantly reciting their life stories, subconsciously extending the structure of language by following a different time path.
During Prospects, Moutoula is presenting a multivocal performance during which three women – Fay, Mariken Overdijk and the artist herself – are simultaneously not only incessantly talking, but also typing on laptops connected to three projectors. The visitors join in by simultaneously listening and reading and thereby slowly but surely becoming aware of unexpected and deeper connections between sense and nonsense.
Text: Esther Darley
Translated from Dutch by Marie Louise Schoondergang (The Art of Translation)