Kundura Stage Opening With Rimini Protokoll's 'Remote İstanbul' Performance

About

Focusing on contemporary performance arts across multiple genres, Kundura Stage is an alternative platform for cutting edge theatre productions. It marks the second stage in the redevelopment of Beykoz Kundura as a multipurpose arts venue and cultural destination in Istanbul.

The inaugural season launches with Rimini Protokoll’s “Remote Istanbul” - a theatrical audiovisual journey in the streets of Istanbul. The interactive and immersive experience sees a small group of audience members set off into the heart of Istanbul with headphones. Guided by a synthetic voice, they are asked to watch each other and make individual decisions whilst always remaining as part of a group.

Throughout the performance binaural recordings and film scores provide a soundtrack for the urban landscape. The journey through the city feels more and more like a collective film. The audience is transformed into active participants in the performance, exploring the influence of artificial intelligence, big data and our own predictability.

Since its first premiere in Berlin in 2013, “Remote X” (as it is generically known), has traveled to more than 20 cities including Lisbon, Madrid, Moscow, New York, São Paulo, St. Petersburg and more. 

S. Buse Yıldırım, Managing Artistic Director at Beykoz Kundura said:  

“We are delighted to collaborate with Rimini Protokoll, cult pioneers of documentary theatre, and very glad to present their Remote X performance in Istanbul, which offers a unique audio-visual experience of city-making through theatre and technology. While discovering the new experience of public space in an already existing urban texture for scenography, we also encourage city dwellers to ask questions about their everyday practices. In this sense, Remote Istanbul is in keeping with Kundura Stage’s desire to invite people to push the boundaries towards a discrete cultural destination in Istanbul that brings forth a dissimilar city routine. We aim to centralise theatre of documentary/reality into our curation policy by hoping to collaborate for multiple upcoming projects from this genre. Our mission is to present cutting edge, innovative productions in Istanbul and witnessing the gradual return of its vibrant cultural scene.”

“Remote Istanbul” opens to the public from 19 September with a première on 12 and 13 September. Performances will be held over the weekends until 15 November and tours will be available in both Turkish and English.

In the interest of creating and maintaining a safe performance experience, new measures and protocol will be in place within the set COVID-19 health and safety regulations. Please visit https://beykozkundura.com/en to have further information.