Chronicles

It all begins with darkness, which slowly brightens to reveal an unusual space enclosed by large stone slabs. The area is filled with crushed rocks of various sizes, along with a variety of objects. Loud sounds accompany this slow illumination, indicating that some cataclysm is happening outside. Inside this bunker or shelter are five men. At the height of the tremors, they receive a peculiar gift “from heaven”—a large cardboard box falls from above. What is inside is unknown, but the headlamps that appear on the characters’ heads shortly after may suggest that someone has decided to help them. 

Creating a performance where a story far beyond reality originates from a completely realistic situation is the specialty of the founders of the Peeping Tom company: Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, and their team. Franck Chartier, a student of Maurice Béjart and Alain Platel, once explained this in an interview about another project, “Moeder”: “movement comes from a realistic situation that engages instinct and emotion. We start with various situations of different emotional intensity for the dancer. Sometimes we start with the moves only, as we are passionate about technique combined with virtuosity.” 

And indeed, as time passes, “Chronicles” transforms into a surreal journey that, on one hand, explores the initial situation and on the other, constantly abandons it in favour of discovering the transcendent and timeless. The bunker turns into a labyrinth of time, and the people trapped inside become wanderers seeking a way to defeat death. All this is achieved through theatre described as “cinematic.” This means that Carrizo and Chartier employ techniques such as “freeze frame,” imitating frozen movement in choreography; “fast forward,” involving deliberate manipulation of movement pace on stage; and “jump cuts,” that shape the dramaturgy and narrative of the performance. Light, sound, and an innovative approach to pantomime also play a crucial role in their work. 

“Chronicles” was conceived and directed by Gabriela Carrizo, artistic director of the Peeping Tom company, and features outstanding artists from various countries who contribute to the creative process: Simon Bus, Seungwoo Park, Balder Hansen, Boston Gallacher, and Charlie Skuy. The latter two have previously collaborated with Carrizo on the premiere of Nederlands Dans Theater’s “La ruta” in 2022.  

The remarkable set design, which uses the dancers’ bodies as props, is a crucial element of the performance. It is the result of a collaboration with the Argentine-Japanese duo Lolo & Sosaku. Based in Barcelona since 2004, this artistic collective is popular in contemporary art galleries and museums worldwide. Working with Peeping Tom fits perfectly into their art, as they have long focused on the dialogue between objects, their surroundings, and human bodies.