OCHLOS

A performative lecture on democratic values delivered by two bizarre speakers. On the threshold between human and animal – goat legs, human torso – two hybrid beings from ancient mythology emerge to remind us of the principles on which European democracy was built. They arrive at the last possible moment. At a time when our fundamental values seem to be shaking at their very foundations. But what values are these, exactly? Who is speaking about them? And why? Hovering between stand-up comedy and dead talk, two unreliable storytellers guide you beneath the smooth surface of political rhetoric – to the moment when the language of values degenerates into an identitarian chant.

What team are you playing for?
Which flag are you waving?
What reliably sets you off?
We all long for recognition. Every group, every tribe wants to be seen – and demands to be seen the way it sees itself.
In polarized societies, one side is always trying to save democracy from the other.
And when the inclusion of some becomes the exclusion of others… isn’t that the very moment
when democracy ends?

Concept, scenography, directing: Jan Mocek
Created with, performed by: Halka Třešňíková Arseniy Mikhaylov
Music: Matouš Hekela
Lighting, sound: Ondřej Růžička
Production: Táňa Švehlová, SixHouses z.s.
Artistic advice: Sodja Lotker
Photos: Adéla Vosičková

Jan Mocek
Jan Mocek is a theatre maker based in Prague. In his work he mixes elements of pop culture, politics, and personal experience to speak about the times we are living in. In other words, he sees the gold where everyone else smells shit. His main concern in theatre work is to open up difficult themes with all their ambiguities, while offering pure distilled doses of beauty. Mocek’s work has been presented at national and international festivals and venues, among them Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Komuna Warszawa, Toplocentrala, Fast Forward Dresden, Rehearsal for Truth NYC, Submerge Digital Arts festival Bristol, and 4+4 Days in Motion Prague. Jan Mocek is a member of IN-SITU - European Platform for Artistic Creation in Public Space.SixHouses is a production platform directed by Tana Svehlova, it provides complex production support for Jan Mocek´s projects.
www.janmocek.org