Tereza Dvořáková ~ Where the Sun sets

Tereza Dvořáková's "Where the Sun sets" was presented before live audience at Centrale Fies, Dro, Italy on August 3, 2024 as one of 38 AEROPONIC ACTS of CHAMELEON ORBIT curated by Elisa Giuliani & Giulia Crispiani.

Here you will find the documentation of Tereza Dvořáková's presentation as filmed by Baha Görkem Yalım. The written report is by  Bethany Crawford and it includes a summary of the comments by esteemed guest respondents.

Where the Sun sets

Tereza Dvořáková's question: And where does it rise?

Tereza's introduction: A female priest in imposing robes conveys a ritual that transcends the human story. The object of veneration is not heroic suffering. Instead, we are confronted with a mystery that lies hidden at the Core, in the space beyond human pain. The symbolism of a Pit; an information flash drive containing the compressed potential of its own kind is hidden under glass in the altar composition. The more something is hidden, the more strongly it is present.The gradual uncovering and re-shrouding of the mystery is the main essence of the mass. Placing the relic into the casing of itself is an act that adores the symbolic power preserved in the form of an artifact.

We are not here and now.We are guided by insight into ourselves through the perspective of a greater whole. Our point of view changes at the moment our gaze meets the totality of the Sun. Layers of impossibility become the force in which the essence is preserved.

Silenzio.

The performance is a manifestation of objecthood, materiality, and audiovisual technology blending with the Aesthetics of Dis-Appearance. Main source of inspiration is the visual canon of the Catholic Church; its miracles, and the mysteries that are strengthened by their amplification, endless narrative self-reproduction and fetishization of relics and roles.

Bethany's report: Two performers enter the stage, carrying an object together as if it were precious—a pillow supporting the small, mysterious object. The duo lays it gently, reverently on a table surrounded by a light, a camera, and a microphone. The object, enigmatic and delicate, is live-streamed onto a screen behind them, magnifying its detail. The pink satin pillow and a small fabric object atop it evoke the sacred, yet its exact nature remains unclear, almost resembling a seed or pearl.

A third performer approaches, cloaked in a hooded robe. In a slow, deliberate gesture, the robed performer extends their arm, allowing their gloves to be ceremoniously removed. They carefully open the object on the pillow, revealing something within—pearl-like in its gleam. A voice begins to intone the lyrics of Like a Prayer. The song’s chorus tantalizes but never fully arrives, cut short just as anticipation peaks. A fourth performer enters quietly from behind, carrying a tray with a bowl of water and a nectarine. Their presence heightens the scene’s ceremonial tone. The fourth performer washes the nectarine in the water, every motion deliberate, each act live-streamed for the audience to witness. The fruit is dried, quartered with a scalpel, and its stone is removed with care—a dissection as ritual.

As the performer holds the stone, they hum along with the interrupted song, creating a dissonant and lingering anticipation. The gratification of hearing the chorus is delayed, heightening tension. The stone is reverently placed into a purse-like shell on the pillow. The moment is crowned by the arrival of a glass case, which is placed over the objects, framing them as sacred artifacts.

The performer retreats, a dramatic train of fabric trailing behind them, carried by the initial two performers. The absurdity of the ritual becomes apparent, as significance is created through the deliberate gestures, amplified by the live-streaming setup and the artificial glow of a ring light. The performance interrogates how objects and actions gain meaning through ritual, framing, and mediation, blending sacred and absurd, ancient and contemporary: What makes something sacred? What role do media and spectacle play in constructing reverence?

Ramon Amaro: expressed his deep appreciation for the performance, noting how it started strong and immediately placed the audience in a different sensory position. He reflected on the idea of ritual and its inherent complexities, particularly how it is mediated through various mediums, such as objects and the body. The scenography and staging were powerful, creating an immersive exploration of ritual's layers.

He acknowledged how ritual often feels deceptively simple on the surface as something taken for granted, but is in fact deeply intertwined with mysticism, real life, and narratives rooted in fables. Ritual, for Ramon, is a convergence of materials and meanings that form collages of metaphysical processes, often difficult to fully grasp. He likened this complexity to mathematical functions, phenomena that coalesce into forms or patterns, which simultaneously simplify and illuminate deeper structures. This connection led him to reflect on the symbolism in the text of Like a Prayer and its pointing to the interplay of spirituality, religion, and systems of power that ground these ideas.

Ramon highlighted the ritual's treatment of the body and the flesh, which are organized and engaged through the physical object. He explored how the performance illustrated a transfer between object and subjecthood—where something as mundane as fruit juice or wine becomes imbued with symbolic significance. These objects offer access to larger meanings, allowing viewers to expand their hearts and reflect on spiritual contexts. For him, the common thread of the ritual seemed to open both heart and body, pushing and pulling the audience into a space of contemplation, oscillating between faith and intimacy.

He emphasized how religion, when approached with openness, carries a push-and-pull dynamic, simultaneously opening and closing spaces for connection. This tension, Ramon noted, was captured beautifully in the performance, particularly in the interplay between cognitive processes and embodied experiences. He pointed out how the controversy surrounding Madonna’s song added another dimension to this exploration—addressing the rituality of sexuality itself and its discursive debates.

Ramon appreciated the performance as a collision of symbols, where themes of spirituality, sexuality, and religion intersected. He found it to be a reminder of the thematic anxieties we often associate with these ideas—anxieties that the performance brought to the surface, creating a productive chaos. This negotiation of distinctions left the audience with an “alien” object, one that required careful consideration and care, much like the symbolic watering of the fruit in the performance.

He concluded by noting how the performance encased popular culture within these deeper, circulating themes. It presented the complexity of ritual in a way that resisted reduction, instead offering a textured, multifaceted experience. The performers provided numerous entry points into the ritual’s layers, ensuring authenticity and leaving space for the audience to connect with themselves and the work.

Ramon closed with a reflection on patience, emphasizing how often we rush to resolve complex problems. This performance, he believed, invited the audience to slow down, allowing space for deeper engagement and connection. It was an invitation to reflect on the self, the body, and the rituals that shape our lives.

Inti began by drawing connections between the performance and cultural references, particularly Madonna’s Like a Prayer video, which evoked memories of Latin American contexts. He reflected on parallels with the countercultural filmmaking of Alejandro Jodorowsky, especially works like The Holy Mountain from the 1970s. Like Madonna’s controversial work, Jodorowsky’s films challenged traditional notions of religion, desire, and spirituality, disrupting patriarchal and orthodox traditions.

Inti noted how the performance’s spatial arrangement and scenography echoed some of these themes. The centrality of the church-like geometry, with its focus on the middle of the stage and the climactic moment of encasing the relic, resonated with Jodorowsky’s cinematic approaches. In his work, Catholic tradition is unsettled and reimagined, often engaging with figures that question established structures of power and meaning.

He also observed how the performance seemed to unconsciously borrow elements from patriarchal religious histories while simultaneously evoking a "female space." This interplay reminded him of drag culture’s deep historiography, where personas and crafted imagery challenge and reframe societal norms. Inti suggested that the performance tapped into these histories, whether intentionally or not, blending sacred and performative elements in a way reminiscent of drag’s mastery over ritual and identity.

The use of pop culture as a medium also stood out to Inti, a phenomenon often seen in art biennials like the Berlin Biennale, particularly the edition themed We Don’t Need Another Hero. He found this reference apt in the context of the performance, noting how it resisted traditional heroic narratives and instead offered something more nuanced and disruptive.

Antonia shared how much she enjoyed the performance, describing it as both engaging and thought-provoking. It reminded her of her favorite Catholic saint, St. Wilgefortis (or "svetisaria" in Slavic traditions), who is venerated in the Czech Republic. She recounted the legend of this 14th-century saint, a young woman who prayed on the eve of her arranged marriage to become repulsive so she could avoid the union. Her prayers were answered, and she awoke with a full beard. Enraged by this transformation, her father crucified her, making her a martyr.

Antonia reflected on the linguistic roots in Slavic languages, where the word for "stař" (meaning "elder" or "leader") often denotes a position of authority traditionally reserved for men. She saw a connection in the performance’s engagement with transformation and its articulation of authority—how subversion of the normative, like the saint’s beard, can unsettle and disrupt established power structures.

AEROPONIC ACTS 2024 ~ Chameleon Orbit

About Tereza Dvořáková