What can theatre do about the refugee crisis? Enacting commitment and navigating complicity in performative interventions

Abstract

This article argues that in a society transformed by an increasing bureaucratic nexus of migration, artistic responses to political crises are particularly effective when working with institutions. To probe the prevalent discourse on the efficacy of performance art, the article interrogates Grandhotel Cosmopolis through a lens of institutional aesthetics. Dwelling at the intersection between performance and institutions, this intervention combines refugee accommodation with a tourist hotel and artist studios. Ultimately, the article outlines the role of commitment in the intervention, which stands exemplary for emerging art practices that permeate the boundaries of institutional policy, performance art and social fields.

The double-edged sword of storytelling

“…Indeed, since the special issue of the Research in Drama in Education (RiDE) journal on performance and asylum was published in 2008 (Gielbert & Nield, 2008), several projects have brought renewed rigour to the expectations of ethical conduct in performative work with refugees. Ten years on, the RiDE 2018 special issue on performance and forced migration documented several examples of projects based on a solid ethical foundation (Marschall, 2018;Price, 2018;Hemelryk Donald, 2018).…”

Familiar strangers, distant neighbours

“…Most major national newspapers, such as the weekly newspaper 'Die Zeit' and German national TV stations have reported on the project (Grandhotel Cosmopolis 2019). Its popularity also attracted a significant number of bachelor, master and PhD students from all across Germany who wrote their thesis on the project, resulting in several publications (Costa Carneiro 2016, Marschall 2018. In contrast to other alternative accommodation centres such as Plan Einstein in Utrecht (Oliver et al 2018), the GHC did not have a team of researchers responsible for a coordinated scientific assessment of the project and were relatively unprepared for the amount of media attention they received.…”