Doris Uhlich - Gootopia

Mucus, this biologically vital substance, triggers different reactions in people. It can provoke disgust and unease as well as arousal. The cause for its appealing and yet irritating nature can be found in our technologized society, which is driven by ideals of sterility and stability: mucus is neither solid nor liquid, neither internal nor external. Life starts out wet, we need to be towelled dry, we do not come “clean” into this world. Mucus is a primordial part of us that we lose track of over time. It’s the glue that makes the organism work, creating all sorts of connections. Still, the pandemic has made us afraid of this substance. And in science fiction, it is mostly affiliated with aliens and indicative of the non-human, the constant flow of the unknown, spreading and streaming. Gootopia works at the intersection of horror and fascination and makes it possible for the audience to once again delve into the vibrant processes of our metabolism.

“The fluidity of bodies and their boundaries has been of major interest in the contemporary dance field for a long time. In Gootopia, synthetic mucus will literally play the part of a choreographic element to represent liquid phenomena.” – Doris Uhlich