a soloshow about technology, entertainment and communication.

Every project is a possibility to dive into the joy of intense research. This time we focused our attention on Mercury,  the distant planet that orbits very closely around the sun. A day on Mercury is 176 days long. It’s an uninhabitable place, but for some reason, some people consider moving there. According to astrology Mercury has a big influence on our communication, as well as on our intelligence and social skills. Talking about astrology lead us to all the efforts that have been made to predict the future; the oracles sitting in damp Greek caves, high on toxic fumes, sending out messages in hexameter, the thinkers of the 17th century working with probability calculations trying to foresee chance and the risk management consultants of our own time.

The piece is an attempt to decipher the correlation between the past and the future, between mikro – and makro cosmos, between space and time. We know it’s a difficult task, but Mercury is not only a planet but also a messenger of ancient gods and as such an expert in communication.

“Man’s awkwardness and fragile search are portrayed on stage by a brilliant Kristiina Viiala. It is difficult to imagine closer to a complete success in portraying this anxiety and creeping concern about both the past and the present in an empathetic and at the same time humorous way.”   Västerbottens-Kuriren (SE)

Mercury  premiered in November 2022 at Norrlandsoperan in Umeå, Sweden.