(collaboration with Elizabeth Rose Langford)
Homepage: www.theatreoftheancients.com
Human cultures have developed rituals in order to frame a significant experience, in which there is some kind of transition or transformation – we often refer to these moments as rites of passage. This display features four sculpted ritual objects created by Joanna Hruby, founder of Theatre of the Ancients. Between December 2021 and April 2022 these items, crafted from cardboard papier-maché, featured in two performance happenings which evoked the Greek myth Persephone, in which the maiden daughter of the fertility goddess Demeter descends, and then ascends from the Underworld, marking the shift of the seasons from autumn to spring. The centrepiece of these theatrical events, which both took place in outdoor locations in Santa Agnès, Ibiza, was two large canvases which underwent a process of alchemical transformation at the hands of the artist Elizabeth Rose Langford, working with locally-foraged, seasonal pigments. Her set of canvases undertook a rite of passage journey of Descent, and Ascent, framed by a collective theatrical ritual attended by members of the public. In the En Tránsito show, we continue into a third act, exposing the canvases to pigments and processes in fitting with the coastal location of the Faro de ses Coves Blanques, and inviting the community of Sant Antoni as witnesses and participants.
CV spanish:
Soy titiritera, escultora, artista, escritora y activista cultural inglesa, afincada en Ibiza desde 2015, donde he establecido la compañía Theatre of the Ancients. Mi trabajo se enfoca en los mitos, el folclore y la cultura ancestral de Ibiza, y desarollo varios tipos de performance ritualista, utilizando tradiciones teatrales y artesanales como: gigantes, máscaras y teatro de papel. Mi trabajo entra en los ámbitos de ritual, cuentacuentos, teatro inmersivo, -sensorial y -participativo.
Estudios:
2008 – 2011: Diploma en Práctica de Teatro – Teatro de Títeres, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Londres (con honores de primera clase)
2011 – 2012: Certificado Postgraduado en Educación (nivel segundario): Arte y Diseño, Universidad de Plymouth, Inglaterra
Desarrollo Profesional:
2023: Dissabtes en Xarxa (espectáculos ritualistas con títeres gigantes y música en vivo para esta iniciativa de teatro de calle, lanzada por el Ayuntamiento de Eivissa)
2023: Water and Gold – TEDx Dalt Vila, Centro Cultural Can Ventosa, Ibiza (una obra encargada por TEDx Dalt Vila, un evento dentro de la iniciativa global ‘TEDx’ que tomó lugar en Ibiza en marzo, 2023)
2023: Territori Festival, Ibiza (la obra ‘Tree of Life’ seleccionada dentro de la categoría Open Call Balear, en el festival internacional de performance art)
2023: Iluminar-te: El Viaje de tu Deseo (construcción de títeres para ‘laberinto teatral’, dirigido por Celia Ruiz (Almas Visibles) y encargado por el Ayuntamiento de San Antonio, Ibiza, que tomó lugar en el Faro de Ses Coves Blanques, San Antoni, en Diciembre ’23 – Enero ’24)
CV englisch:
I am a British puppeteer, sculptor, artist, writer and cultural activist based on Ibiza since 2015, where I have founded the company Theatre of the Ancients. My work is focused on the myths, folklore and ancient culture of Ibiza, and I develop various types of ritualistic performance, using traditional and artisanal techniques such as giant puppets, masks and paper theatre. My artistic work enters into the domains of ritual, storytelling, immersive-, sensory- and participatory theatre.
Studies:
2008 – 2011: BA (Hons) Theatre Practice – Puppetry (first class honours), Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London
2011 – 2012: Postgraduate Certificate in Education – Secondary level, Art and Design, Plymouth University, England
Professional Development:
2023: Dissabtes en Xarxa (ritualistic performances with giant puppets and live music, for the street theatre initiative launched by the Ayuntamiento de Eivissa)
2023: Water and Gold – TEDx Dalt Vila, Centro Cultural Can Ventosa, Ibiza (a performance for this TEDx conference, within the global TED initiative, which took place in Ibiza in March 2023).
2023: Territori Festival, Ibiza (the performance ‘Tree of Life’, selected for the Open Call Balear category of this international festival of performance art).
2023: Iluminar-te: El Viaje de tu Deseo (puppet construction for a ‘theatrical labyrinth’ project, directed by Celia Ruiz (Almas Visibles) and commissioned by the Ayuntamiento de San Antonio, Ibiza, to be performed in the Faro de Ses Coves Blanques, San Antonio, in December 2023 – January 2024).
