Luiz Felipe Lucas, known as "Cabezadego," delves into themes of presence, absence, and the fleeting nature of performative acts in his work "El tiro." Drawing inspiration from Jerzy Grotowski's techniques, the performance creates a moment of profound connection with the audience, evoking transformation and emotional resonance between the performer and the spectator. In the short film by Luiz Felipe Lucas and Venus Villa, the camera captures the silence that follows the performance, unveiling its ephemeral remnants and the audience's emotional reactions. This initiates a deep contemplation on the challenge of capturing the true essence of the performative experience and the transient beauty of performance art.
In his performance piece El Tiro, Luiz Felipe Lucas, also known as "Cabezadego," delves into themes of presence and absence, exploring the transient nature of the performative act itself. Drawing on techniques pioneered by Jerzy Grotowski, El Tiro fosters a connection with the audience that sparks moments of transformation and emotional resonance between performer and spectator.
Villa begins filming as Cabezadego concludes his performance, leaving behind only the ephemera: a stained piece of paper bearing a faint, almost unrecognizable silhouette. As José Esteban Muñoz suggests, these remnants serve as tangible traces of fleeting instances of resistance and subversion within the transient space of the performance event. Luiz Felipe Lucas and Venus Villa's short film captures the extended final silence of the audience, followed by their hesitant movements around the now-vacant stage, marked only by the stained surface.
Shot with a stationary camera, the film hones in on the weight of this silence, revealing the audience's reactions to Lucas's performance and rendering palpable the lingering impressions on viewers' minds long after the show: discomfort, curiosity, or incomprehension. Thus, the short film underscores how these emotions become integral to the piece, now shaped by the audience's subjective experiences, memories, and emotional responses.
Furthermore, the recording of the performance not only prompts reflection on its ephemeral essence but also acknowledges the intricate challenges involved in translating bodily experiences into digital records.
Credits
Texts by Laia M. Llobera. Performer: Luiz Felipe Lucas. Master: Ildu Alonso. Graphic Design: Venus Villa. Editing and Filming: Venus Villa. Direction: Luiz Felipe Lucas & Venus Villa.