Red Cues: Live Art Performance by Ilana Palmgren and Joni Salmela

‘Red Cues’ is a multimedia performance by actor and performance artist Ilana Palmgren (member of GAP) and sound artist Joni Salmela. The performance is organised on the final day of our group exhibition ‘Technophilia & The New Society’ at 18:00, welcome!

‘Red Cues’ combines text (projected on screen and heard in audio, in English), live sound art by Salmela and movement on performer’s body (Palmgren). The performance explores non-visual meanings of the colour red, exhaustion and frenzy, and the tenacious red that resides in all of us. In the performance RED acts as a force, or character, speaking to and moving the performer. Or was it inside all the time? Is it in others?

‘Red Cues’ is a first part of three-part performance series CUES exploring colours as physical forces, overlapping of senses and the relationship between personal and collective – through feminist posthumanism lenses. Grasping the non-material and wider than human matter with an interdisciplinary approach we aim to reimagine and create spaces for possible life forms
of the future.

Red positions itself as the curly border between life and death and as a force that unearths the most essential and hidden. A huge melon, a genetically manipulated piece of earth, rests on the performer’s stomach, a burden, a symbol of desire and perdition. The performance asks to look at the possibility of a pregnancy of a non-binary person. Palmgren sets their body as an imaginary space and playground for stubborn red as the idiosyncrasies of everyday reality are torn apart into a feverish dream. Bringing their own relationship to the colour red, the experiencer positions themself as part of the performance.

Attached to the theme of Technophilia and ‘new’ society, ‘Red Cues’ positions in dialogue with the wider themes of text, power and possible futures. We as humankind have decided the norms and meanings of senses and colours as well as power over them, gender-restrictive norms and capitalistic ideas of having to keep on going- even if it’s not healthy or possible. The performance asks if there is a possibility for a different future and takes this question into action inviting the experiencer to be a part of this process.

With the theme of ‘Technophilia’ the performance raises interesting ways to view the text on the screen and power structure – what moves us, is it technology, or do we move it? The questions of gender are relevant at the moment when looking at AI – it still is a mirror for the current norms we hold up. Could this change?

The project began in July of 2024 in Berlin in the SomoS artist-in-residence program by Palmgren and developed into a collaboration with sound artist Joni Salmela. Demo performance at SomoS was held in August of 2024 and in September the duo was selected to continue the process at Post Theatre Collective’s FALL residency in Helsinki.

Performance length: About 25 minutes
Language: English
More about the project: https://ilanapalmgren.com/Red-Cues

About the artists
Ilana Palmgren (they/them) is a versatile Finnish actor (FIA) and performance artist working mainly with theatre, performance art, movement and text. Currently living and working in the capital region of Finland. Palmgren’s working languages are Finnish, English and Russian.

Palmgren holds a MA in Film and Theatre Acting studying in Petrozavodsk, Russia, where they deeply immersed themselves in the Stanislavsky system of acting. However, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Palmgren immediately returned to Finland in 2022 completing their studies at the Theatre Academy Helsinki.

Drawing on the classical Stanislavsky technique, Palmgren combines traditional acting training with experimental performance art. Palmgren’s work is characterised by a fusion allowing them to create performances that are both emotionally authentic and innovatively expressive.

They have contributed to various productions not only as a performer but also in facilitating and shaping the overall artistic vision with experience in directing, writing and choreography. https://ilanapalmgren.com/

Joni Salmela (he/him) is a sound artist, composer and event producer from Finland. Salmela’s foundation is in classical music and he has evolved his artistry to encompass a wide range of genres and mediums, consistently seeking and creating connections between them. With a BA in Social Science, Salmela’s work is deeply influenced by social themes, seamlessly integrating cultural narratives into his projects.

Salmela’s work is characterised by his innovative approach to blending diverse sounds and uncovering connections between seemingly disparate elements, creating immersive experiences that resonate on multiple levels. https://jonisalmela.cargo.site/

Red Cues picture by Joni Salmela