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THE RIVER AND THE DEVIL

Paula Almiron
Work in Progress
Wed 20.11.2024 18:00 - 19:00
KVS, Brussels
-2
Past event
20.11.2024
18:00 - 19:00
Past event

The River and The Devil invites the audience into the ruins of a disappearing river.

It is said that during colonial times, in the Bolivian Andean Plateau, the river Desaguadero and its uncontrollable nature were demonized as ‘the Devil’ by colonial settlers. Since then, the river has dried out, turning from water to salt after centuries of continuous extraction. Reimagining the Devil not as a destructive force but as the river’s guardian, The River and The Devil explores resilience and the remnants of fragmented histories. The river has turned into broken pieces, hiding and moving towards us unannounced.

Combining dance, fiction, collective storytelling, and a soundscape by Vica Pacheco, the piece evokes a sense of living among ruins, asking what remains when a river disappears. Mythological figures and spirits that once protected the river linger as echoes in this haunting meditation on loss and endurance.

Part of

Paula Almiron, born in Buenos Aires and based in Brussels, works at the intersection of choreography and writing, exploring the ongoing intra-action between the social, the spiritual and the geological realms. 

Since 2019, her work has focused on "water choreographies," with projects like Always Coming Hole (2021) and The River and The Devil (2025). Paula collaborates with Wouter De Raeve on I Build My Language With Rocks in Brussels' Northern Quarter and co-coordinated M33, a space supporting local neighborhood movements, while curating Swamp Sacrifices, a program centered on non-productivity and the Brussels swamp.

Paula works as a dancer, choreographer, mentor, and outside eye in diverse contexts and has collaborated with artists like Louise Vanneste and David Weber-Krebs, with her work showcased at venues such as Bâtard Festival, Veem House for Performance, Kanal-Centre Pompidou, Kunsthalle Zurich, and Munar Arte in Buenos Aires, among others. 

 

 

Credits

CONCEPT, REGIE & PERFORMANCE / CONCEPT, MISE EN SCÈNE & PERFORMANCE / CONCEPT, DIRECTION & PERFORMANCE Paula Almiron DRAMATURGISCHE ADVISEURS / CONSEILLERS DRAMATURGIQUES / DRAMATURGICAL ADVISERS Simon Asencio, Louise Vanneste, David Weber-Krebs CONCEPTUELE DRAMATURG / DRAMATURGE CONCEPTUEL / CONCEPTUAL DRAMATURG Wouter De Raeve ZOUTSCULPTUREN & VISUEEL ARTIEST / SCULPTURES DE SEL & ARTISTE VISUEL / SALT SCULPTURES & VISUAL ARTIST Florencia Almiron GELUIDSONTWERP / CONCEPTION SONORE / SOUND DESIGN Vica Pacheco VERDELING VAN GELUID / SPATIALISATION DU SON / SPATIALIZATION OF SOUND : Simon Lehmans LICHTONTWERP / CONCEPTION LUMIÈRES / LIGHT DESIGN Estelle Gautier RESIDENTIE-ONDERSTEUNING / SOUTIEN EN RÉSIDENCE / RESIDENCY SUPPORT wpZimmer, kunstencentrum BUDA, kunstenwerkplaats, C-TAKT, La Bellone Maison de Spectacle, La Serre Arts Vivants (Montréal), CND Paris, SEN (Studio Etangs Noirs), Tenerife LAV, GC Het Huys, Meyboom Artist-run Spaces & PROXIMAMENTE festival residency 2024. COPRODUCTIE / COPRODUCTION KAAP, C-Takt network & kunstenwerkplaats PRODUCTIE / PRODUCTION Four-Thirty-One vzw & Hiros MET STEUN VAN / AVEC LE SOUTIEN DE / WITH THE SUPPORT OF The Flemish Government & Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie