Scheerbart - To the Patent Office

Exactly one hundred years ago, the poet, inventor and visionary Paul Scheerbart succeeded in creating the one thing that every design engineer dreams of – a perpetual motion machine. In July 1910, after three years of development, Scheer had his invention patented at the Imperial Patent Office at Gitschiner Straße 97 in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Once set in motion, the machine would stay in motion indefinitely, doing the work of humans and essentially freeing mankind from the burden of repetitive, back-breaking toil.
The composer and director Ruedi Häusermann has written a compendium of 25 quartets for four prepared, single-hand pianos. By means of mechanical modification, he has transformed them into separate complements that can constantly change in character. On the basis of his compositions and Scheerbart's texts and drawings, Häusermann collaborated with set designer Barbara Ehnes, four pianists and six actor-musicians to develop his own theatrical cosmos. Häusermann's works consist of a complex interweave of music, sounds, texts and scenes. They confront the viewer with permanent fluctuations and shifts, introducing them to entirely new ways of seeing and hearing.

Composer and director: Ruedi Häusermann
Set designer: Barbara Ehnes
Costume designer: Annabelle Witt
Dramaturge: Arved Schultze
Director's assistant: Rogier Hardeman

Venue and schedule:
Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin: 22 Sep.- 26 Sep. 2010