Storkunstsolteddystatsreligionens Bestialitetsteologiske Fakultetsgrunnlegging* (Great Art Sun Teddy State Religion’s Bestial Theological Faculty Foundation)

The performance Storkunstsolteddystatsreligionens Bestialitetsteologiske Fakultetsgrunnlegging* (Great Art Sun Teddy State Religion’s Bestial Theological Faculty Foundation – GASTSRBTFF) by Julian Apostata Blaue and Liv Euterpe Holmberg may be remembered the best for the way it the next day was referred to as a scandal in all major media outlets. The most important reasons were killing of three hens onstage and a rape scene presented as very realistic. Several of the spectators left the venue, including the Aftenposten critic Therese Bjørneboe and the Morgenbladet critic Jon Kåre Time.

Also Drude von der Fehr and Arne Johan Vetlesen, both participators in what turned out to be something entirely different than what they had agreed to, left the venue. Drude von der Fehr also tried to stop the abovementioned killing of hens. After the emphasis was not only put on the bestial hen killings, but also the fact that Arts Council Norway had supported the project with 270 000 Norwegian Kroner, including 50 000 in means for performing arts.

After the performance, which made the Black Box Teater artistic director Jon Refsdal Moe to state that the theatre had been anally fucked and that Blaue would not be allowed to put foot onstage in the theatre within the rule of Refsdal Moe, Blaue wrote an essay in Aftenposten titled Reaksjonene er den egentlige skandalen (literally: The reactions are the real scandal). In his text Blaue claimed that the moral judging of his performance got in the way for the aesthetic judgement of the critics and the audience. Later Blaue also declared that the hens were eaten by the ensemble after the production.

Except for himself, nobody publically defended him.

The following could be read about Storkunstsolteddystatsreligionens Bestialitetsteologiske Fakultetsgrunnlegging* (Great Art Sun Teddy State Religion’s Bestial Theological Faculty Foundation – GASTSRBTFF) by Julian Apostata Blaue and Liv Euterpe Holmberg in the program of Black Box Teater (the text was written and published prior to the performance):

"When arguing in a Utopian way for violence, murder, perverted sexual practices or other behaviour damaging the contemporary society, it is called art or madness. Status as real thinking is achieved by the forming of theories, in academic circles for instance, which is in tune with the already existing norms for society. In other words, The Utopian competitor gets the kingdom of fiction as his dominion, and this way is disarmed.

The foundation of the faculty is a Utopian attempt at reflection using theatrical and musical rituals. But Apostata and Euterpe oppose having their thinking outsourced to the kingdom of fiction: This is not illusion theatre or experienced art! The universities are expropriated and the true philosophy blows its way onstage.

Is Apostata Blaue in the existential, intellectual and artistic authority to realise his theo-philosophical dreams? Clash of philosophy! This question is to be decided by an Academic war tribunal with the pain philosopher Arne Johan Vetlesen as a humanist crown prosecutor. Christina Lindgren is the architect of the court. Euterpe challenges Apostata with her megalomaniac organ instrument and real emotions. The democratic dictatorship rules: Send a text message to the number 97195857, and you are sent the philosophy of suffering and the theology of bestiality, the work providing you with the option to become a member of the jury, a free ticket and the chance to win a voyage to Iraq."

Storkunstsolteddystatsreligionens Bestialitetsteologiske Fakultetsgrunnlegging was one of several performances connected to Julian Apostata Blaue’s project about Storkunstsolteddystaten (literally: The Great Art Sun Teddy State). In 2008 Holmberg and Blaue founded an art nation they named Storkunstsolteddystaten. After the occupation they established an exile government in the art venue Kunstnernes Hus and the state religion in the culture church Kulturkirken Jakob.

The basis for the performance in BBT was according to the program that the central dogma of the religion - "suffering is an object of joy" - still lacked a justification. For this reason Apostata Blaue had written a philosophy of suffering, making the foundation for the next step in the attempt of founding a new reality. The philosophy of suffering carried the same name as the production title.

Sources: Aftenposten.no, http://www.aftenposten.no/, 14.10.2010, http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/article3594079.ece

Morgenbladet, http://www.morgenbladet.no/, 14.10.2010, http://www.morgenbladet.no/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100326/OKULTUR/703269987

Black Box Teater Oslo, http://www.blackbox.no/, 14.101.2010, http://www.blackbox.no/content/titlePresentation.php?tid=2044&displayNav=false

*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

"When Julian «Apostata» Blaue last Sunday performed his performance Storkunststolteddystatsreligionens Bestialitetsteologiske Fakultetsgrunnlegging! in Black Box in Oslo the audience had to stand the dying spasms of hens being killed in a painful manner, and brute sadomasochism. Everything was accompanied by an endless, dirty flow of pubescent babble from the central character. Admittedly, these are clichés from the horror cabinet of the avant garde, and as such Blaue fulfilled all prejudices most people have towards independent theatre in provocative mode. Except for the sickening content in the spawn of words by Blaue the most despicable part of the production, however, was the unprepared way the audience, the extras and other participators were lured into a trap - reduced to flies in the bestial circus of Blaue’s."

Jon Kåre Time, Review/comment titled Voldtektens teater (literally: Theatre of Rape), Morgenbladet 26.03.2010, http://www.morgenbladet.no/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100326/OKULTUR/703269987

"And the threat from the Arts Council to withdraw support because of elements such as the killing of hen? How about the statement from Jon Refsdal Moe about «stage prohibition» for as long as he is the manager of the theatre? I did not mislead anyone the way he argues. Where are we if Arts Council Norway and one of the very few interesting theatre venues in Norway do not consider aesthetically and intellectually, but exclusively after a technical, moral and judicial standard?"

Julian Blaue, Essay titled Reaksjonene er den egentlige skandalen (literally: The reactions are the real scandal), Aftenposten 06.04.2010, http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/debatt/article3594079.ece