Behind The Scenes: Materia
Meet Andrea Salustri, Italian street artist, juggler and fire manipulator entrancing audiences this May with a beguiling physical theatre show that brings to life the seemingly everyday material: polystyrene.
A graduate of Philosophy, dance and choreography, multi-talented performer and playwright Andrea combines a mesmerising mix of contemporary circus and performance styles in Materia, out-numbering himself in ‘a choreography for several polystyrene shapes and one human’.
“Each scene begins as a careful negotiation between man, plastic, and wind, but pays off like a magic trick” The Scotsman
We had to find out more...
Where did you get the idea for Materia?
As a choreographer and juggler, I have been researching movement exploration techniques and applying them to everyday objects. When I first came across polystyrene, I found so many possibilities that they naturally started taking the form of performance the moment I attempted to share them.
Materia draws its inspiration directly from the materiality of polystyrene. The material led the creation process as I followed its properties through different artistic genres in a transdisciplinary journey of discovery.
Sum up the show in three words!
Visual, poetic and experimental.
How do want audiences to feel after the show?
I hope some members of the audience will be able to have a few re-encounters: to question, and possibly to see in a different way, the objects they are surrounded by on a daily basis. Marvel can be found in the most common places.
We’re thrilled to have you join us at this year’s Festival! Are you excited for Materia to be a part of our programme?
It is an honour for me to be a part of the history of this cross-disciplinary event that confronts the audience with the most diverse disciplines. I believe Materia matches the experimental profile of the festival very well, and I am thrilled to meet such a stimulating and rich reality. I’m looking forward to this wonderful experience!
Co-produced by PERPLX
In partnership with Attenborough Centre for the Performing Arts
