ORGANZA by lesbi pensjonari

ORGANZA by lesbi pensjonari

2025

Premiere: TR WARSZAWA, APril 2025, warsaw

performed at: Generation After 9. Showcase, Komuna-Warszawa Theatre, September 2025, Warsaw

duration: 20 minutes (we are looking for possibilities to develop it into a full-length piece)

As Djuna Barnes writes in Ladies Almanack, all that remains of the lesbian papessa are ashes – and a tongue that never burned. Modelled on queer poet Natalie Barney, who hosted a renowned Parisian salon in the early 20th century, the figure embodies desire and erasure. In the performance, organza fabric becomes the papessa’s tongue – seductive, elusive, and concealing. Beneath the surface lies the uncomfortable legacy of fascist sympathies within parts of Barney’s circle. Organza proposes a visual and material language to approach the darker threads of queer genealogy—shaped by the need to confront what history prefers to obscure.

Lesbi Pensjonari [lɛzbi pɛnˈsjɔnari] – an artistic-research duo exploring lesbian and queer desires in 19th- and 20th-century archives. They create performances, lead somatic and literary workshops, and write texts. Co-created by: Justyna Szklarczyk a cultural historian and PhD candidate at the University of Warsaw and Alka Nauman, a choreographer, mutidisciplinary artist and researcher.

credits:

concept, Direction, text, Video, costume: Lesbi Pensjonari (Alka Nauman & Justyna Szklarczyk)

choreography, performance: 1/2 of Lesbi Pensjonari (Alka Nauman)

Dramaturgy, Feedback, sound: 1/2 of Lesbi Pensjonari (Justyna Szklarczyk)

curator: michał borczuch

production: urszula musiał (tr warszawa)

photos: Wojciech Sobolewski @uczo

trailer: mario nitek

We are exploring possibilities to develop this work into a full-length piece. in case of interest please write to: lesbi.pensjonari@gmail.com Hope to work together!

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