If the familiar world feels too predictable, it can always be rewritten. For instance: what if everything around us is just a dream? How is it more interesting to live life—while we are awake or when we retreat into our fantasies? And what power can be found in fleeting imaginations and dreams? MMOMA is launching a theatrical laboratory for teens where the secret signs of the subconscious will transform into contemporary performance.
Lisa Shtipalnik and Lera Novikova’s Laboratory is inspired by the «Phenomena» exhibition and will occupy all the exhibition halls at Petrovka, 25, for four days. Participants will attempt to translate the language of the subconscious into the language of contemporary performance, situated at the intersection of reality and surrealism. The guiding philosophy will stem from Gaston Bachelard: through imagery of natural elements—earth, water, air, and forest—humans can gain a deeper understanding of themselves. Participants will move through the halls, explore the most enigmatic corners of the exhibition, and attempt to materialize a dream they wish to experience in waking life.
Ultimately, a nurturing atmosphere for creative expression—free from the fear of external judgment—will be established. The program will also involve significant movement and transformation, turning urban and domestic sounds into audio collages, and exploring hidden associations through stream-of-consciousness writing. First, the internal critic will be soothed; then, practice begins: participants will build the sets, props, and stage costumes themselves. Finally, they will host an open show for loved ones—a large-scale performative collage of shared dreams.
