Body Acts – Actions in public space
“It begins with a question: How can a sick body perform a political act? I set out to investigate the non-productive body – the inactive body – the body that, due to physical or mental illness, is unable to act in public space. To be activist, one must be active.”
Sofie Lebech’s performance action Body Acts focuses on how physically and mentally ill bodies can be active participants in society, even when leaving home or taking an active part in one’s own life can be difficult.
Drawing on the visual language of political demonstrations, with their banners and placards, the action creates a framework for articulating the conditions under which the sick body exists within the Danish welfare state.
Inspired by the chronically ill artist Johanna Hedva’s statement, “How do I throw a brick through the window of a bank if I can’t get out of bed?”, invited participants walk through the city carrying signs bearing reflections on what it feels like to inhabit a sick body and how that body wishes to participate actively in a community.
“Illness is the night-side of life, and citizenship in the kingdom of the sick is burdensome,” wrote author Susan Sontag. We wish to turn this statement around and ask how, as a society, we can invite those who are ill to participate actively in the kingdom of the healthy.
Body Acts – Actions in Public Space is a preliminary study for the performance Body Acts, which premieres at Teatret Får 302 in October 2026 and will be presented at Helsingør Teater in spring 2027.
INFO
Duration: 55 min
You can join the actions from the beginning or along the way – or just observe from a distance. The actions all end in fornt of The Culture Yard.
CREDITS
Concept, text and Direction: Sofie Volquartz Lebech og Jon R. Skulberg
Performers: Elena Anna Biner + Rose Vergmann + Karoline Severinsen + Louise Serup + Jon R. Skulberg + Sofie Volquartz LebechGraphic Design: Søren Meisner
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Sofie Lebech is a Danish director, performer and author of texts working solo and in collaborations. Since 2003 she has made numerous performances, research projects, site specific interventions, and installations. Some of the recurring themes in her work are the intersection between reality and fiction, and the relationship between spectator and work. Her artistic approach is research-based and interdisciplinary. See more: sofievolquartzlebech.dk/
“It begins with a question: How can a sick body perform a political act? I set out to investigate the non-productive body – the inactive body – the body that, due to physical or mental illness, is unable to act in public space. To be activist, one must be active.”
Sofie Lebech’s performance action Body Acts focuses on how physically and mentally ill bodies can be active participants in society, even when leaving home or taking an active part in one’s own life can be difficult.
Drawing on the visual language of political demonstrations, with their banners and placards, the action creates a framework for articulating the conditions under which the sick body exists within the Danish welfare state.
Inspired by the chronically ill artist Johanna Hedva’s statement, “How do I throw a brick through the window of a bank if I can’t get out of bed?”, invited participants walk through the city carrying signs bearing reflections on what it feels like to inhabit a sick body and how that body wishes to participate actively in a community.
“Illness is the night-side of life, and citizenship in the kingdom of the sick is burdensome,” wrote author Susan Sontag. We wish to turn this statement around and ask how, as a society, we can invite those who are ill to participate actively in the kingdom of the healthy.
Body Acts – Actions in Public Space is a preliminary study for the performance Body Acts, which premieres at Teatret Får 302 in October 2026 and will be presented at Helsingør Teater in spring 2027.
INFO
Duration: 55 min
You can join the actions from the beginning or along the way – or just observe from a distance. The actions all end in fornt of The Culture Yard.
CREDITS
Concept, text and Direction: Sofie Volquartz Lebech og Jon R. Skulberg
Performers: Elena Anna Biner + Rose Vergmann + Karoline Severinsen + Louise Serup + Jon R. Skulberg + Sofie Volquartz LebechGraphic Design: Søren Meisner
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Sofie Lebech is a Danish director, performer and author of texts working solo and in collaborations. Since 2003 she has made numerous performances, research projects, site specific interventions, and installations. Some of the recurring themes in her work are the intersection between reality and fiction, and the relationship between spectator and work. Her artistic approach is research-based and interdisciplinary. See more: sofievolquartzlebech.dk/