Embryonic Journeys in the ATALAIA Festival

W∞M is a creation of the Belgian company AndWhatBeside(s)Death, who work with somatics, dance, intimacy and sensitivity. It aims to embody a journey backwards in time through the origin of our senses in utero, until the moment of conception and beyond. As they say:
“In W∞M we research the activity and reactivity of the senses, looking for the answer to a number of profound questions: how does the human being construct knowledge through sensory experiences? In what senses does one place most confidence? How do our senses relate to our freedom and limits our control? How do frames of thought decide between bliss and torture?”
Here in Almodovar, a small town in the deep south of Portugal, W∞M is formed into a bewildering mix of somatic exploration, a dancing procession of disabled people, choirs of elderly people singing local traditional songs and a musical score composed for the piece itself. As appropriate, we perform under the eyes of Virgin Mary…
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… and sleep under a ruthless sky.
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