A vast, white staircase structure – huge projections of numbers as a chronographic counter – doublings, displacements, superimpositions: patterns and shapes that appear on the steps combine with the movements of eleven dancers and the music of Steve Reich. A theatrical meditation, as if the clockwork-like nature of life were being revealed in time lapse. ‘META’ is a dance installation that does not fit in any existing category. Located at the interface of the visual and performing arts, the performance calls into question numerous metaphysical concepts – concepts of time, of the moment and of eternity, of present and future, of life and death.

The French ORIANTHEATRE Dance Company, founded in 2011 by the French-Iranian choreographer Mehdi Farajpour, combines dance, theatre and performance. In Persian, the word “ORIAN” points to the term for nakedness, and in ORIANTHEATRE it refers to honesty as a central leitmotif in the process of artistic creation. True to this principle, its productions forgo theatrical effects, and as such are closer to the concept of performance art. Conceived as an international network of artists with different creative backgrounds, the company regularly tours throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe.