Joonas Lahtinen u.a.

Tony Blair, the former great hope of European social democracy, fundamentally shaped the terms and conditions of art production today with his politics hell-bent on success. At least that’s what the embittered protagonist of this droll one-man show contends. Production conditions for contemporary artists have, since then, become increasingly subservient to market principles. Catchwords such as innovation, efficiency and especially measurable success force artists to develop manager qualities that – in the best case – will temporarily ensure one a place in the scene.
Kicked off by the slightly naive crusade of an aging performance artist – acted by Harald Jokesch –, I BLAME YOU, TONY BLAIR! combines facts, fiction and fear of the future tinged with nostalgia. A multifaceted commentary delivered by two generations of artists about the challenges of contemporary art production and reception.

I BLAME YOU, TONY BLAIR! is the most recent production by Joonas Lahtinen and others whose performance/installation EIN.KÜCHEN.BAU made a successful tour of German-speaking countries with the Freischwimmer Festival 2012/13 and had a guest run at the Stage Helsinki Theatre Festival. http://joonaslahtinen.wordpress.com

Idea, text, direction Joonas Lahtinen Performer Harald Jokesch Lights and sound Andreas Wiesbauer Dramaturgy and production management Luzie Stransky

A co-production of Punatonttu/Joonas Lahtinen and others and imagetanz/brut Wien.

Trailer I BLAME YOU, TONY BLAIR!

I BLAME YOU, TONY BLAIR! Trailer from Lahtinen and Stransky on Vimeo.