En faire tout un plat (Making a Big Deal of It)

Roman Keller brings out a grey box. The grey-black-green device is pushed out by an assistant, and placed next to the round stage. A balloon-shaped black sack is sealed. Kneeling, Roman dries the edge of the round platform. Birds twitter. Now with ear muffs, eye guards and a power tool, Roman mills a design into the edge of the circle of boards. One part of the machine is a Festool Cleaner (the logo Cleantec is written on the device). Christina Hemauer is busy untangling cables and moving the equipment. Both now work as manual labourers; to be honest, they have no choice. Only Christina’s pointy hat appears to have been artificially positioned. Dressing up. The rest is construction work. In the middle of the podium the plastic bag slowly inflates. While using the shape cutter on the edge of the wooden platform, the performers have switched roles. The balloon in the middle of the stage grows larger. Now the plastic bag is clearly discernible as a balloon. The power tool mills from right to left. After a circle around the platform has been completed, Christina cleans the edge of the stage.

Roman pushes the machinery back into the room. The balloon continues to inflate. Things are almost a little hectic: because of the rain? Both now clean and dry the stage. Standing next to each other, they wring out their cloths. The Festool Cleantec has not completed vacuumed up the scraps and dust left by the power tool. Roman cleans up what has been left lying around on the tarmac road with a broom. What has ended up in the grass is left there. Then the performers change clothes. Christina takes off her white work trousers. Beneath them she wears a long skirt. This is a surprise. The white trainers stay on. Roman is now less conspicuously dressed. The black balloon rolls back and forth – while (and because?) it inflates. The performers examine the now fully inflated ballon. The remaining rain drops are removed. The atmosphere is expectant. Will the balloon, perhaps, float away? When? Then they both carry the balloon away into the Kunstraum Walcheturm. The time is 9.26am. Christina Hemauer clears away the remaining equipment from the performance. Now the stage will be wiped dry again. It has stopped raining.

Hansjörg Köfler on the performance by Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, which took place in Zurich on the 21st of June 2015 from 8:35 to 9:26am on the occasion of «The longest day».