In a world where digital platforms provide a seemingly endless stream of guidance and advice on every conceivable topic, French artists Giuseppe Chico and Barbara Matijevic have ingeniously transformed the phenomenon of online tutorials into a thought-provoking theatrical experience. Their play, titled ‘Our Daily Performance,’ has garnered international acclaim by drawing inspiration from a multitude of YouTube tutorials, and it is set to captivate audiences in Pune.
Chico and Matijevic’s journey into the realm of digital cultures and online communities led them to meticulously analyze a diverse range of online videos, spanning from practical life hacks to creative pursuits. The array of content they encountered ranged from guides on enhancing personal relationships and executing safe falls for individuals over 65 to transforming Shakespearean sonnets into rap lyrics and practicing self-defense techniques.
The culmination of their research resulted in the creation of ‘Our Daily Performance,’ a theatrical production that delves into the intricacies of modern life through the lens of hundreds of YouTube tutorials. The play, composed of a mosaic of performances featuring actors, dancers, acrobats, and musicians, explores various facets of the human experience as presented in online tutorials.
While ‘Our Daily Performance’ does not follow a traditional linear storyline, it presents a series of scenes, each of which is centered around a different tutorial. The underlying theme of the play revolves around the universal human desires and fears that the tutorials subtly address. Matijevic notes that the videos not only offer guidance for self-improvement but also tap into existential anxieties about aging and mortality, underscoring humanity’s vulnerability and the realization that control is often an illusion.
Giuseppe Chico and Barbara Matijevic’s collaboration began in 2007 when they met in Paris while working as performers. They established their own company, Premier Stratageme, and have since created numerous projects together. Their play ‘Our Daily Performance’ gained widespread recognition after its success at the Festival d’Avignon, a renowned annual arts event in France, in 2022.
The innovative production is now set to grace the stage at Pune University’s Namdev Sabhagruha on August 29. The presentation of the play is made possible through a collaboration between the Embassy of France in India, Alliance Française de Pune, and Pune University. While this marks the artists’ first visit to India, their work has been influenced by Indian art, literature, cinema, and culture, making their play’s debut in Pune a significant moment of cross-cultural artistic exploration.
