Victor Wentink "Discours"

15.11.1978
de Appel, Brouwersgracht 196, Amsterdam

Discours is an electromechanical theatre piece based on a text by Bertolt Brecht: ‘Über die Unnatur der bürgerlichen Verhältnisse’ (On the unnature of bourgeois relationships). The piece does not quote the text but illustrates it by means of the following electromechanical reproduction devices: a four-track tape with electronic and concrete/voice sounds; an electronic game called a ‘Wind Machine’ (a kind of central processor operated by four players); several slide programmes; and six paintings. The piece has six parts: 1) industrialization, struggle, frustrated relationships; 2) early forms of production, mythological relation of nature, labour and existence, up to the feudal hierarchy; 3) developed and threatened productive capacity; 4) history of production; 5) intermezzo and continuation of the history of production, social struggle; 6) return to the first part by way of a montage, report on the culmination of the struggle and ‘what the future offers’. (Invitation De Appel, November 1978.)