In Recess by Alex Piasente-Szymański questions how we can continue to produce meaningful art in a time of crisis. The piece premiered on 20 February 2025 at Tanzfabrik and ran until 22 February.
“If you have high expectations, lower them, and you’ll never be disappointed,”said the Berlin-based disabled artist, Alex Piasente-Szymański, as he finished setting up his stage. Only ten minutes in and already he had established a unique relationship with us through his honesty. The piece began with a very Berlin-like techno beat paired with the pulsing of bright lights, illuminating different parts of the stage. When the music stopped, the sounds of a running printer filled the room as Piasente-Szymański entered and started drawing back the curtains, bringing us back to actuality. During his introduction speech, he noted that while most people in the audience probably feel comfortable with the lives they live, having the opportunity to be safely indoors, observing a performance, there is a lot going on in the world, and there are people fighting for a reality in which they could do the same.
Piasente-Szymański sat in a chair and stared at us in silence as the pages continued to print. As soon as the printing stopped, and the long sheet of never ending paper was set aside, he disposed of all expectations about what was to come next. First he called us “culture vultures.” The tone then shifted to a heart to heart as he explained that he didn’t actually want to be there, and that the piece was more of a hijacking than an attempt at good work.
Throughout the solo, there were many ‘recesses’. These pauses were initiated by an alarm clock on stage that would go off after a fixed amount of time, often interrupting him mid-sentence. After each one, he continued sharing his thoughts on the topic of culture vs. discourse. His reflections on how the system is designed to make us think that we are “warm, cozy and safe” as things are were met with hums of agreement. He highlighted that most of the people protesting in the streets are immigrants—like myself, and surely some others in the audience as well. As he said, we have to continue to stand up for what we believe is right, and speak up against false political narratives and propaganda.
It became unclear to me which part of the evening was ‘the performance’ and which part was the hijacking. During one recess, he sang Frank Sinatra’s “My Funny Valentine”. I interpreted it as a commentary on how immigrants and artists alike are often valued as tokens, but the system never wants us to draw attention to any flaws in their morals. In another one, he danced with the help of two canes. It was fascinating to see how he was able to use the canes to balance himself, play with his weight, and use them as an extension of his limbs, like when he imitated a bird flapping their wings. Birds themselves carry a lot of symbolism, so I wonder what he felt at that moment.
Generally speaking, his questions made me think about what kind of work we should be creating when so many are suffering. Does it actually benefit anyone to ask thought-provoking questions in our work, or is it counterproductive? Are we allowed to protest while holding on to our desire to feel “warm, cozy and safe”? Despite telling us to lower our expectations, Alex Piasente-Szymański expected a lot from us in one hour. I can only speak for myself, but sometimes it all feels like too much, and in order to keep fighting, I’d say it’s ok to take a recess.
In Recess by Alex Piasente-Szymański premiered on 20 February 2025 at Tanzfabrik.
