11 June 2023

Vienna Insight: Impulstanz Festival presents Mathilde Monnier's runway performance 'Défilé pour 27 chaussures' and the text-to-dance piece 'Black Lights' about violence against women

Fashion.at looked through the printed 'Performances' catalog of the upcoming Impulstanz festival, which will take place from 6 July to 6 August. The printed catalog of the workshops - including fashion-related courses (article) - arrived in April. In its 40th edition, the annual festival will present 68 productions at 20 venues in Vienna. Among them is French choreographer Mathilde Monnier's shoe-related performance at the Heidi Horten Collection. The museum, which opened last year, is a partner of the Impulstanz festival for the first time. The Heidi Horten Collection is known for presenting art in the context of fashion and lifestyle (article).

Mathilde Monnier's performance 'Défilé pour 27 chaussures' was developed in collaboration with historian and curator Olivier Saillard (bio on BoF) in his role as artistic director of the French shoe brand J.M. Weston. It was first shown at the Grand Palais in Paris during Men's Fashion Week. The performance was reviewed by Vogue in 2018, focusing on the time dimension of 'walking' and the individual and collective characteristics of a wearer. The Austrian premiere will take place on 1 August.

A few days after the world premiere of Mathilde Monnier's latest choreography 'Black Lights' at the Festival Montpellier Danse, the piece about violence against women will be performed on 28 and 30 July at the Volkstheater in Vienna. The choreography is based on texts written by female authors for the series H24 about everyday brutality against women, broadcast on Arte. In the press release, Mathilde Monnier's production 'Black Lights' is mentioned as one of the highlights of the Impulstanz Festival 2023.

Image: 'Défilé pour 27 chaussures' Cie. Mathilde Monnier (FR). Photo: © Marc Domage.