Question to the past
by and with the Zaytun Ensemble and Dorota Makrutzki (Pommerisches Landesmusem in Greifswald)
14.09.24
Before Market Groseria began, Zaytun planned a collaboration with Dorota Makrutzki from the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald. During their exchange about her research work Question to the past, the idea arose to create a Polish version of the magazine, which had previously been published in German. The magazine comprised questions, historical contexts, and stories from the Pomeranian region, with the aim of giving readers the opportunity to engage with the history of their own lives and their families.
For Stolec, a meeting was held where a new version of the work in Polish was presented and further developed. Dorota Makrutzki and Luiza Supernak prepared questions in advance to be included in the magazine. Marcel Tadeusz Jarocki created a design intended to give readers a welcoming view. In parallel, Malik Meyer and Ola Supernak developed theatrical scenes based on their research, aiming to help visitors better connect with their memories. These scenes were then worked on together with performers Kolja Kraft, Jules Rodgers, Ana Esteban Carretero, and Katarzyna Kupiec.
The meeting finally took place in the store, and the magazine complete with a preface by journalist Marek Koszur, was made available to visitors. Dorota Makrutzki gave an introduction, and the visitors had the opportunity to experience the theatrical fragments in connection and interplay with input on historical events.
The theatrical scenes on topics such as the Polish-German border, the era of communism, songs from back then, and memory objects stimulated discussions about the past. This exchange often, but not always, found its way into the magazine, where visitors could write or draw their reflections.
Through the interplay of historical and personal memory, as well as the impact of the theatrical moments, new insights were gained. The meeting also provided ideas on how the work could be further refined and released in a final version.
The potential of performing arts to evoke emotions in the audience was palpable. Participants had the opportunity to explore their own past and become storytellers themselves by engaging in dialogue and archive their memories in the magazine. What remained was inspiration and the potential to create more through remembering, documenting, and dialogue.