A MARVELLOUS CARMEN

A MARVELLOUS CARMEN, the Duva/Diva project, has been produced by the DuvTeatern Theatre Company and the famous Finnish photographer Stefan Bremer in 2011. The exhibition is about the experimental opera performance Carmen, Bird of Prey that premiered at the Finnish National Opera with performers from DuvTeatern and the Blue Flamenco School of Dance. A MARVELLOUS CARMEN is a joint project of artists with and without disabilities.

A MARVELLOUS CARMEN includes the photo series of Stefan Bremer who has cooperated with DuvTeatern since 2003 as well as the documentary The Silent Singer directed by Anna Blom and produced by Långfilm Productions. The documentary gives the viewer a chance to get acquainted with the actors who are portrayed in the photographs of the exhibition. Also, in connection with this exhibition, the screen adaptation of the opera performance Carmen, Bird of Prey will be shown. The performance had its premiere in January 2011 at the Finnish National Opera.

The exhibition has previously been shown with great success at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki (2011), Gallery Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art in Washington (2012), and the Finnish Institute in Paris (2012) and in Stockholm (2013). Some of the photographs have also been published in the European photography periodicals Eyemazing and Photo.

The DuvTeatern Theatre Company has worked in Helsinki, Finland, since 1999 within the framework of the DUV Vingen Association. DuvTeatern strives towards equality and accessibility within the arts and the community. By giving artists who have intellectual disabilities a professional platform from which to develop, DuvTeatern wants to awaken its environment to the artistic surprises and resources that exist outside the usual norms and conventions.

«Bremer’s photographs might make some viewers uncomfortable. The subjects don’t fit customary standards of beauty, and the contrast between their unconventional faces and Bremer’s high-gloss style is strong. But the pictures echo what Bremer says is the goal of the production. „It asks, ‘Who has the right to take the center stage?’ “ If that question can be answered with a joyous grin or guffaw, the answer is clear: These performers do.» — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 9/3 2012.

A MARVELLOUS CARMEN. The Duva/Diva Project is part of the MAMM programme «An Accessible World for Everyone», which presents various different projects and lets the audience consider how the world could be made equally accessible, friendly and attractive for everybody, especially for disabled people