Refuge

In a time marked by the threat of a new world war, a growing refugee crisis and teetering on the brink of environmental catastrophe, the question of “refuge” is becoming increasingly important—both in its strict sense as a place where one can find a haven after being deprived of the security of their home, as well as in its symbolic meaning or rather as a political question about which ideas or political concepts can we resort to in times of escalating crises. But what even is a refuge in a time of environmental crisis? In a time of war? Does it even exist? What separates it from the surrounding threat—the roof, the heat, the proximity? Is it a well-deserved oasis of peace or an escape from harsh reality?

Refuge is conceived as a multi-day festival that will round off Žiga Divjak’s creative activity at The New Post Office. The festival will feature performances that have been created as part of the New Post programme—6, The Game, Fever and Crises—each of them touching upon the title theme in its own way. Discussions and a round table with guests will follow the performances which will provide a platform for a wider in-depth discussion on the possibility of refuge in a moment of the omnipresent military, environmental, political, conceptual and existential conflict.

In addition, the festival will feature a sensory theatre-spatial-sound installation questioning the necessity and inability to find shelter at this moment.