Jiří Kylián
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VING  STILL
World première

World première

The world première Moving Still was held on 26 & 27 June 2024 outside on the piazzetta on the Václav Havel Square. The opening was preceded by an exclusive program at the National Theatre curated by Jiří Kylián: Four films, interludes with dance, live music and spoken word.
Films / concept / choreography: Jiří Kylián

Moving Still / Installation

New creative conceptual work by Jiří Kylián. An installation of 3D printed sculptures on the public piazzetta. Nine statues, a myriad of stories, simple life questions: there and here, within or afar, does motionlessness exist? And beauty? Most definitely...  
Moving Still, promises to be an all-embracing experience.

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Jiří Kylián about Moving Still

I am a choreographer since many years and obviously movement always fascinated me.

Moving Still is an installation consisting of nine life-size sculptures of dancers who were scanned 3-dimensionally. I have asked these dancers, with whom I worked for many years, if they would participate in this project and whether they would be willing to be scanned nude in 3D, printed life-size and publicly exhibited. The dancers are Lorraine Blouin, Cora Bos Kroese, Valentina Scaglia, Shirley Esseboom, David Krügel, Ken Ossola, Stefan Żeromski and Michael Schumacher.

Since years I am fascinated with movement in general and moving inside or outside of a space in particular. The life-size 3D prints of these dancers should be situated either inside or outside of any windows – or they should be caught just in the midst of their flight through the glass with their bodies cut in half. I started working on this project in October 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. At that time we were not allowed to move anywhere. That is why I gave my work the title Moving Still. It is an installation of motionless sculptures flying through space between life and death. Their bodies are marked with cuts and wounds… But while working on this project, I have realized that neither a living dancer nor his static 3D print ever stands still. Nothing ever stands still....

But movement and stillness in choreography was not the only inspiration for this project. I was equally inspired by the sculptures of the deceased people of Pompeii who died in October 79 AD when mount Vesuvius erupted. This tragedy happened 1945 years ago and still today these motionless sculptures move us deeply.

 

Moving Still at the Municipal House

Moving Still transforms shape and context. The Czech Club at the Municipal House has become another opportunity for installation, showcasing four of the nine sculptures.

The Czech Club at the Municipal House is a significant place where the establishment of Czechoslovakia was confirmed on October 28, 1918, forming a cornerstone of our homeland from the past and the future. This symbolically expresses Jiří Kylián's relationship with Prague and the Czech Republic—and also with what is transient versus what endures.

“Nations often unite into states, but soon turn away from each other, frequently becoming enemies, and sometimes even waging war against one another—there are countless examples of this in the history of mankind. Czechs and Slovaks are essentially siblings. In my youth, I loved the Slovak language and culture—and I still do. The signing of the agreement between Czechs and Slovaks to unite and create one state, Czechoslovakia, has always given me a sense that neighborly coexistence can be friendly! But nothing lasts forever. The existence of Czechoslovakia was confirmed here, in this room, in 1918—but it was torn apart in the equally beautiful environment of Brno, at Villa Tugendhat, in 1992. My sculptures of dancers are also cut. Perhaps this symbolizes our instability, indecisiveness, and division…” says Jiří Kylián.

The installation at the Municipal House was created in collaboration with the Bohemian Heritage Fund, the National Theatre, and Kylián Productions. It will last until December 2024.