Snail Trails
Snail Trails offers a surrealistic view of a day and a night in the life of an elderly and somewhat confused woman. She spends her days snipping pictures from magazines and watering her plants. Through her eyes, we see a world where objects and memories take on a life of their own, appearing and disappearing as they please. When late afternoon comes, she decides to leave her house, and time and space become elastic. She goes for a walk in town – where passers-by look suspiciously like shrimps – and ends up at a remarkable destination.
This poignant play without dialogue interweaves live theatre and animation film.
Snail Trails was nominated for the 2002 VSCD Mime Award. From the jury report: "It is a breath-taking spectacle that transports the audience to that borderland between fantasy and reality and offers confused human beings the solace of a magical imagination."
"It is quite astonishing how the technically adept artists of Hotel Modern manage to evoke such feelings, emotions and associations using the most modest of resources." (NRC Handelsblad)
"Hotel Modern have delivered a visually stunning piece that elicits melancholy sighs and relieved smiles in equal measure." (Volkskrant)
"Time slows down in Snail Trails, but it never becomes boring. On the contrary, it gets sharper and more intriguing, thanks to strong acting of Arlène Hoornweg as an old woman. With incredible control, she creates a painfully stiffened body and the decline of her mind. This provides plenty of beautiful, sometimes hilarious and certainly touching moments." (Theaterkrant)
Credits
Idea and role of elderly lady Arlène Hoornweg Creators Arlène Hoornweg, Kirsten Hutschemakers, Pauline Kalker, Herman Helle, Maartje van den Brink Stage assistants Mirijam Neve, Kirsten Hutschemakers Creator doll of woman in animation film Cathrin Boer Sound and music Johann Sebastian Bach, Arthur Sauer Technician André Goos Poster and flyer Maarten Evenhuis, with a photo by Arwen Linnemann Subsidy Performing Arts Fund NL, City of Rotterdam With thanks to Edwin van Steenbergen
