The 'Attention Artaud!' theatre project, organised as part of Festspiele Zürich in 2008 used scenographic, literary, musical and spatial resources to look at necromancy as one of the constant themes of Antonin Artaud's life and work.
The 'Attention Artaud!' theatre project – organised as part of Festspiele Zürich in 2008 under the direction of Stephan Müller – used scenographic, literary, musical and spatial resources to look at necromancy as one of the constant themes of Antonin Artaud's life and work. The idea was to investigate the seance as a decidedly artistic form of production and expression in terms of both theatre practice and more theoretical/philosophical viewpoints. The philosopher Benno Wirz contributed to this through targeted interpolation of epistemological interventions from his research into Antonin Artaud.
The following questions were relevant to the project: Can the phenomenon of necromancy or seances (and the philosophical reflection they involve) provide fruitful material for artistic activity? If so, how?
What processes, practices, and strategies can be adapted or taken from these for the production of performative art? Can artistic working practices be understood in terms of dealings with ghosts and what are the possibilities and limits of viewing the artist as a necromancer?
The findings – in terms of the added value from the interaction (as investigated) between theory and theatrical event – were published and presented to the public twice: as a stage performance, and in written form as the first volume of the IPF's series of publications known as subTexte.