Equilibrium

Auditorio de Tenerife has scheduled in its La Salita the play equilibrium, performed by Delio Island. The work is a live reflection on death that connects the biological truth of our bodies to the story of a person who committed suicide in 2021.

The work features, in equal measure, dramatic narration, sound, scientific study, and stage aesthetics, allowing these elements to flourish in mutual contact, contrast, and support. What is life in chemical terms? What is death? What happens on a physical level when we die? What happens when a body decomposes? And, above all, where is Tom?

In recent years, we have lost loved ones. In addition to the commotion of unforeseen death and the pain felt by family members, we must deal with a culture of mourning that does not do justice to the actual events surrounding death. Technocracy is unable to fathom the loss, and metaphysics clouds our vision of reality with clumsy explanations. None of these comforts is for laypersons.

Equilibrium explores what actually happens to our bodies after death. We do not know whether anything resembles an immortal soul. There probably is not. However, we do know that the dead remain alive in the thoughts and memories of their loved ones. The dead do not leave us: they become voids and stories; hopes and regrets.

Equilibrium portrays certain moments in our friend Tom’s life and speculates on the nature of his last moments.

With this work, we wish to contribute to the development of a lay culture of mourning, thereby constructing a performative monument to our dear friend.

The project is the echo of an experiment with sound conducted in the Articulations syllabus of IVAM Valencia. The live piece premiered at the Russafa Escènica festival, earning special mention of the Premi de Dramatúrgia SGAE- Russafa Escènica 2024.

There will be a discussion with the audience after the performance, moderated by students from the Canary Islands School of Acting, thanks to a collaboration agreement between this institution and the Tenerife Auditorium.