Elias Canetti in Bochum: The death of data-project

"it fascinates, and at the same time, it enforces a distance," says Elias Canetti in "crowds and Power" about the mask. The face shield fulfills its function as a fixed rule, brought, paradoxical kind of plastic image. The mask shapes the character of the wearer and at the same time invisible. A second face: There are companies or situations where this image of a fellow human being represents him entirely, as it considered identical and will be treated. In Canetti's terms, the mask starts to become the figure, and the effect of this instance of a permanent representation, he says further: "With her and with her is the Drama."

Patrick Bahners

feuilleton correspondent in Cologne and is responsible for "Humanities".

The theatre in the sphere of transformations is: The light goes out, the night of the Surprises of the seam. But just the archetype of the costume draws the fun of variety to its limit. "The mask is what is transformed, distinctive, and permanent, a Permanent in the ever-changing game of transformation." The Schauspielhaus Bochum has am10. June, reopening with a staging of the celebrated, the was first designed during the pandemic forced break. The master of the house, Johan Simons has set up "Temporary", the third and youngest of the three theatre pieces Canetti; for the samples only three were instead of the usual eight weeks. The staff of the theatre and the spectators wear masks; the spectators are not allowed to drop, in contrast to the prompter during the performance.

the actor on the stage, the distance rule does not apply, however, the mask duty. But the characters they embody, to wear masks – in the sense of the term,the Canetti in "crowds and Power" was developed. The play takes place in a future country, whose citizens have in common that they know the date of your death. Our own name with its diverse figurations, usually of religious Traditions have been replaced by a uniform System of designation with number words: thirty-two and eighty-Eight know, what is the time limit on years of life is you measure, and your classmates, know in addition to Buhler and colleagues also.

the Genetic Code from two data

The birthday, from the date of death to be calculated, retaining, however, every man for himself; the mother dedicates her child to his fate, as soon as it can understand how it happens. The genetic Code from the two data of birth and death is a capsule, the wearing of life long on a chain around the neck closes. These capsules are masks in social and technical sense, Canetti's. They carry an identity that is at the same time intended to be determined and inaccessible. The capsule acts as a Talisman. "Your Power is based on the fact that you know exactly, without knowing what it contains." The closure of the capsule, and can only be forcibly opened, it prevents that someone else is the scheduled foreign death taken into account in one's own life plan. "You can collect the Hazardous and collected keep."

Since the occurrence of each death to the predetermined time, are self-eliminated murder and murder. But, this is one perfectly enlightened society would not want to do without the punishment of murderers. The murder was redefined as: murderer, who robs a man of the capsule. Almost schematically, the function of the capsule in the piece of the determination of the mask in Canetti's anthropological corresponds to large-scale works: "On her is the death penalty, tear through another." In the Form of a philosophical thought game, but with the will to consistent classification Canetti in 1956, beaten, premiered in Oxford, several times as a radio play, or musical theatre adapted piece of his life's theme: the Scandalous death.

The cross-word puzzling schematism explains that the plant in normal times is almost rehearsed only nochvon school theatre groups. Simons exposed the didactic Setting: The actor speaking at the beginning of the hall doors, the talk is here, the Weigh firmly screwed-down positions. Three of the in the auditorium dismantled seats appear on the stage, as the rebels called Fifty court is held, has discovered that the capsules are empty.