Description
Arianna Camilli, a graduate of La Manufacture in Lausanne, has carved out a unique space where the boundaries of performance and theater dissolve. Their work is fundamentally an investigation into the « friction » of human existence—the tension that exists between text and movement, the tragic and the comic, and the rigid structures of society versus the fluid potential of the individual. By rejecting disciplinary silos, Camilli explores the body as an unstable zone, one that is constantly being written upon by sound, voice, and social expectation.
Central to this practice is a profound interrogation of the rules that govern how we use our bodies. Camilli posits that our most ordinary gestures, postures, and habits are not natural, but are instead « embodied choreographies » of dominant norms. These norms are often hetero-centered, gendered, and imperialist, requiring a constant, anxious repetition to maintain their appearance as « normal. » The artist’s work seeks to expose the labor behind this repetition. By highlighting how the body incorporates these social and cultural patterns, Camilli makes the invisible visible, turning the stage into a site where the mechanics of belonging and identity are dismantled and reconstructed.
The most distinctive tool in Camilli’s arsenal is the concept of the « bug » or the « glitch. » In a digital context, a glitch is an error that reveals the underlying code of a system; in Camilli’s artistic context, it is a deliberate method of metamorphosis. It is the moment where the « imposed language » of society fails, allowing for a trembling of genres and categories. This is not treated as an accident, but as a point of rupture where new ways of feeling and thinking can emerge. On stage, the body might « rewind, » « fast forward, » or « lock, » negotiating with the internalized schemas that condition it. This physical vocabulary—stretching, compressing, and derailing—becomes a way to create interference in a world that demands categorical clarity.
In this universe, there is no fixed hierarchy between the elements of performance. Movement, voice, electronic sound, and text all carry equal weight, often bleeding into one another until the sense of a stable narrative disappears. The text is never a mere illustration of an idea; instead, it loops and fragments, its meaning shifting as the physical score intensifies. Sound work, particularly of an electronic nature, frequently takes the lead, distorting the performer’s speech and forcing it to « dérailler » (derail). This sonic intervention serves to break down incorporated patterns, preventing the performer from falling into the « autopilot » of traditional representation.
Ultimately, Camilli’s work moves toward a state of transformation rather than representation. The stage is not a place to show a fixed image of the world, but a space to actively escape it. Between the extremes of « rigolades » (laughter) and « jérémiades » (laments), between embraces and arguments, the artist searches for a new language where desire can extend beyond its imposed borders. It is an attempt to turn the act of living back into a sensation that gives one the desire to live, free from the constraints of normative choreographies. Through the glitch, Camilli opens up zones of metamorphosis where the body can finally negotiate its own terms of existence.