A participatory site-specific performance on the theme of water and our responsibility as humanity (or at least as part of it).
This site-specific performance focuses on the rights of water—its protection, accessibility and sustainable management. Through theatrical exploration, it highlights the urgent need to recognize water as a fundamental right and addresses the political, social and environmental challenges surrounding its governance.
Extending beyond the stage, the performance integrates a Legislative Theater session, where participants collectively propose, discuss and formulate potential legislative measures to protect water resources. This participatory process transforms spectators into active agents, engaging them in democratic decision-making and fostering tangible pathways for environmental and social justice. The integration of Legislative Theater underscores the potential of art as both a reflective and an active tool for transformation.
The artistic productions of Bárbara Santos and Till Baumann emerge from research into the Aesthetics of the Oppressed, exploring sound/rhythm, image/movement, and word/text. These productions foster the discovery of creative potential and the development of an autonomous and critical perspective on society. By integrating aesthetic research with a contextual approach, collective learning, and concrete social action, these performances transcend the stage to actively engage with social realities.
The Aesthetics of the Oppressed consists of practices designed to dismantle systems of oppression that condition individuals to believe they are incapable of creation, production, or decision-making, thus relegating them to passive consumers. This practice is an exercise in freedom, stimulating the creative and critical production of culture and knowledge.
This performance was presented in collaboration with Spore Initiative, which facilitates cultural projects at the intersection of climate justice, ecological regeneration, and education. Spore Initiative engages in dialogue with earth protectors in both the Global South and the Global North. The Spore House in Berlin serves as a platform for exchange, fostering dialogue and mutual learning. Their work nurtures common ground among communities, organizations and individuals who, despite being geographically or culturally distant, are interconnected through shared practices of care for the earth.
By placing water rights at the center of artistic and legislative action, this production reinforces the power of collective engagement and participatory democracy, reaffirming the role of theater as a dynamic space for dialogue, reflection and concrete legislative change.