DATE: October 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th at 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Teatersalen, William Wains Gade 11, Refshaleøen, Copenhagen – see location
WHAT: Performance
TICKET: 100 kr

Nature is speaking out

The Forests’ Trial combines choreography and environmental law in a staging of a fictional trial. As representatives of nature, the audience is invited to take on the role of judges and point out those responsible for two interconnected environmental disasters: the mercury pollution from the Cheminova factory in Lemvig and the mercury pollution from illegal mining in the Amazon in Venezuela.

As part of the experience, you will receive a book with a libretto that follows the performance’s progression and a guide to continue the trial at home. The book contains texts (in Danish, English, and Spanish) by Sara Gebran and contributions from environmental lawyers affiliated with The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature.

Duration: 70 minutes.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sara Gebran is a choreographer, dancer, lecturer at Uniarts University in Stockholm, author, and urban planner. Her works are within performance art and often use media such as video, text, sound, and architecture to convey the dancing body, whether it is present or not. Through her performances, teaching, and writing, she studies and works with power and collective empowerment.

Her current works are centered around a project called The Forests Imaginary Trial (2023-2026), which will manifest as several performances – each with a supplementary book and manuscript. The overarching concept is centered around creating a new platform for political and social representation developed together with all interested citizens in defense of nature and the rights of nature.
www.saragebran.com

Marie-Louise Stentebjerg is a choreographer, dancer, and performer with a practice-based approach to choreography. Her practice has an emphasis on collective processes and the potential that exists ‘in between’. Her main artistic practice unfolds within Institute of Interconnected Realities, an artistic project oriented around the concept of decentralized choreography and its multiple manifestations.
www.iir.dk

Tor Lindstrand is a lecturer and architect. Associated professor at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH-A) and co-owner of the firm LLP Arkitektkontor. His work moves between architecture, art, and performance, and his projects have been presented at several renowned international institutions. He has been involved in founding several interdisciplinary initiatives spanning architecture, art, education, and performance. Currently, he is involved in a collaborative research project on power, space, and ideology at KTH-A and Södertörn University and works as an architect critic for FORM magazine.
www.this-is-economy.com

George Koutsouris is a musician and artist. As a member of the Danish Visual Arts Association (BKF), the Greek artist George Koutsouris has lived and worked in Copenhagen since 2012. He has received many national and international awards and has a permanent exhibition with the work Salme Maskine at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde. He has a diverse educational background with degrees spanning from classical piano and music theory to mechanical engineering.
www.georgekoutsouris.com

CREDITS

The Forests’ Trial was created by Sara Gebran and is part of her four-year research project, which was initiated last year with the performance Mediating Nature. In this production, Sara collaborates with choreographer and dancer Marie-Louise Stentebjerg, environmental lawyer Alessandro Pelizzon, architect Tor Lindstrand, and sound artist George Koutsouris. The performance is co-produced by Metropolis and supported by the Danish Arts Council, Nordic Cultural Contact, the Danish Actors’ Association, and the William Demant Foundation.