who by fire -- on mimesis, sacrificial lambs and other scapegoats-

2006, 8 dancers, 90 min

Choreography & Concept: Christoph Winkler Performance & Creation: Yael Schnell, Zufit Simon, Anna-Luise Recke, Christine Joy Ritter, Florian Bilbao, Jörg Schiebe, Peter Trabner, Howard Katz Costumes: Friederike Donath Lighting: André Schulz Production office: Elena Polzer/ehrliche arbeit - freies Kulturbüro A Christoph Winkler production. Funded by the Senatsverwaltung für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur. Supported by Eliashof.

The capacity to exchange animal for human is the most important and spectacular modality of monstrosity in mythology. The goat plays a special role throughout history in this process, especially in its appearance as "scapegoat”. Our modern, secularized society has fulfilled a subtle shift from the "anointed lamb”, the socially stabilizing ritual to a culture of victimization and now, new scapegoats are in ample supply: the politicians, the Chinese, the state, the capitalists, the Others. But in these demythologized times we also feel that these scapegoats will not release us from our sins, or are even worth anything at all. The piece "who by fire" explores this diffuse feeling of unease and the substitution mechanisms of scapegoating.