The situation is this: You enter a spacious room. You are given headphones and are asked to climb into a large, transparent sphere. A countdown begins. A pleasant voice tells you to relax and informs you that the oxygen will last ten minutes. The light goes off. You suddenly find yourself in a situation where you are forced to exist in a here and now that is running towards a definite end.

Meanwhile, other visitors can observe what happens from outside. They see three persons encapsulated in plastic bubbles. After a while they start to move and try to interact.

The countdown is both the form and the content in this fragmented narrative, where different notions about what constitutes an ”I” is revealed in relation to forces of internal and external control. Or, as one of the voices in the piece says: ”Individuality is our most precious commodity.”
The many voices present themselves as authorities, but it remains unclear who are in control of the situation. Is this a therapy session, a study, science fiction, or a self-management exercise? Sometimes you as a listener are encouraged to sink into a meditative flow, sometimes you feel completely battered by the information overload and the many clichés thrown at you. But regardless of the advices, instructions or orders you are given, everything somehow seems to be up to you. And time is running out.

The work consists of four synchronized soundtracks, entitled ”New Individualism”, ”Decoy”, ”The Heroes of Absolute Zero”, and "Countdown".

"Limit-cruisers" is part of the research project ”What You See is not What You Get” at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts and Konstnärliga forskarskolan, Sweden. In relation to the performance, a 25% Ph.D seminar also took place at Inter Arts Center.

Concept and realization: Janna Holmstedt
Participants: 6
Lenght: 40 min
Language: English
Voices: David Book, Nils Dernevik, Orenda Fink, Janna Holmstedt
Muzak and ambience: Kent Olofsson
Light: Mira Svanberg
Programming and technical coordinator: Johan Nordström
Technician: Dana Lötberg
Performances: Sep 18-20, 2012 and Mar 25-26, 2013, in the White room at Inter Arts Center
Realized with support from: Umeå Academy of Fine Arts and in collaboration with Teatr Weimar.

Articles by Clemens Altgård and Malena Forsare (SE).