A metal construction with an electric motor is set in perpetual motion. It is an anthropomorphic figure, a hybrid between human and animal. The figure seems to be half-immersed in a black liquid, in a petroleum product.

“Peripatetic” is the protagonist in a contemplative chamber performance. It is an element of an automated performative mechanism that partly carries a certain romantic aura of the walking poets, partly the idea of dependence upon natural resources, the vulnerability of ecological cataclysms, the obsession with raw materials, the thirst for oil. In this system each element is an actor dependent upon others towards the creation of common sense.

The presentation of the installation will end with a performance by Venelin Shurelov, created especially for the context of the festival.

Venelin Shurelov has achieved recognition as one of the leading Bulgarian set designer and visual artist. Co-founder and Associate Professor in MA program “Digital Arts” at the  National Academy of Art. Co-founder, part of the curatorial team and technical organizer of DA Fest, International Digital Art Festival, Sofia (2009-). He has authored various projects in different media including drawing, interactive installations/performance, digital technologies and he has worked also in the field of video and art theory. He has realized many set design projects and solo exhibitions and has participated in a number of group exhibitions and festivals in Bulgaria, Europe and the USA. Venelin’s work in theatre and contemporary arts has brought him numerous awards.

Text of the performance “Peripatetic:: a docu-mocku incident”