© Renata Chueire
The title of this piece succinctly describes what Martin Nachbar achieves
in his one-hour long, ironically slanted performance. The copyright of the
five short dances based on the human emotions of vanity, desire, hate, fear
and love, which were once described by Spinoza, belongs to the
expressionist dancer, Dore Hoyer. Nachbar has been involved with this dance
cycle, which was created in 1962, since 1999. He has succeeded in lifting
it, so to speak, out of the depths of history. His interest has already
resulted in affects/rework, in collaboration with Thomas Plischke. ‘Urheben
Aufheben’ completes this cycle, focussing on the two left parts vanity and
love.
Nachbar is, however, not just concerned with a mere reconstruction, or
archivisation or even revocation. He plays with the material and turns it
into his own. His preoccupation with Affectos Humanos provides him with so
much inspiration, that, in the end, his own material predominates. So he
becomes archivist and visionary rolled into one. The piece constantly
examines the contradictions between the known and the unknown, between
past, present and future, and conveys these reflections to the audience.
The question of copyright, and what exactly is being revoked (in the memory
of the recipient), can only be answered personally by every individual.
Just as Nachbar's interpretation of Affectos Humanos remains truly
individual.