”First disrupting the division between fabricated scenic (modeling) reality and act-ual, daily reality by using food,
physical transformation (real action: piercing of a nipple), and embedding of the “play” in “real” time (the performance
took protagonist-participants through 5 days), RRC emphasizes processes for interpreting reality and empowers
individual selves to build private symbolic schemas.”
Esther Neff, curator of curator of Theorems, Proofs, Rebuttals, and Propositions: A Conference of Theoretical Theater
"Got me menstruating."
Yelena Gluzman, curator of Theorems, Proofs, Rebuttals, and Propositions: A Conference of Theoretical Theater
PLATO’S SYMPOSIUM
by Reality Research Center
"A recurrent theme in our conversations of Plato’s Symposium has been the crisis of language,
the breakdown of logos, in the face of such a complex and transformative experience.
An inevitable futility seems to shade our every endeavor
to illuminate those who were not involved about our experience.”
Igor Rodriguez, scholar
Plato’s Symposium was the first installment of the Platonic trilogy Mysteries of Love. The second mystery play, Plato’s Cave, focused on absolute truth and was staged in Copenhagen in 2016, followed by the third part, Plato’s Republic, which explored absolute good and premiered in Helsinki in 2016.
In 2015, the masculine archetypes of the project—Apollon, Dionysus, and Hermes—were further explored through an exhibition titled Trialogue.
Plato’s Symposium was an 8-day Socratic mystery play, merging contemporary theatre and experiential live art to revisit the Hellenistic foundations of art and beauty. The spectators became protagonists, embarking on individual journeys toward experiencing absolute beauty throughout the week-long performance.
Grounded in Platonic philosophy and Dionysian ecstasy, the piece aimed to redefine beauty as a path to personal and cultural emancipation. It explored the origins of theatre, mysteries of love, and the potential of participatory performance.
Premiering in September 2013 at Theorems, Proofs, Rebuttals, and Propositions: A Conference of Theoretical Theater in New York, the symposium unfolded in two parts. The first presented four performances, followed a week later by theoretical/theatrical responses. The core idea of the conference was that theatre itself can serve as a theoretical tool, expressing ideas more effectively through performance than text.
Plato’s Symposium approached these concepts through the shared roots of theatre and theory, re-examining the philosophical and theatrical heritage of Ancient Greece. Eight “protagonists” journeyed through the play's four acts, guided by performers embodying the gods Aphrodite, Apollon, Dionysus, and Hermes.
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ACT 1: LOGOS
In the first act, the protagonist selected one image from a series of twelve archetypal pictures. They then engaged in a Socratic dialogue with the Ancient Gods, contemplating the beauty of the chosen image.
ACT 2: MIMESIS
In the second act, each protagonist created a personal altar dedicated to beauty. This was followed by an associative dialogue with a performer, as they reflected on the installation.
ACT 3: ANAGNORISIS
The third act marked a turning point, where the protagonists embarked on an inner journey to explore their subjective aesthetic realms. The performers assisted in designing a ritual act of personal significance for each protagonist.
ACT 4: SYMPOSIUM
The fourth act served as the climax, a collective happening where all protagonists performed their self-designed rituals, aiming to embody beauty. Through these rituals, the protagonists ascended to the status of gods, forming their own pantheon. The Symposium concluded with a celebratory feast and rituals led by Apollon, Aphrodite, Dionysos, and Hermes.
ACT 1
LOGOS
What is beauty
ACT 2
MIMESIS
Objects of beauty
"It expanded the meaning of theatre. It expanded the meaning of ritual. It expanded the meaning of theory.”
Erin Mee, director, scholar, professor
ACT 3
ANAGNORISIS
Becaming beauty
ACT 4
SYMPOSIUM
Embody beauty
”The knowing that comes from Plato’s Symposium is a performer’s knowledge, a knowing from inside. Because it has
no external referent, and no way toward abstraction, it eludes relativity.”
Esther Neff, curator of Theorems, Proofs, Rebuttals, and Propositions: A Conference of Theoretical Theater
The Symposium concluded with a celebratory feast and rituals led by Apollon, Aphrodite, Dionysos, and Hermes.
WORK GROUP: Maria Oiva; Aphrodite, Jani-Petteri Olkkonen; Dionysos, Tuomas Laitinen; Apollo and Visa Knuuttila; Hermes
PHOTOGRAPHY: Visa Knuuttila & Natalya Dikhanov