Lus Osculi

Once again, we are expanding the Encuentro Paraíso with the development of several research residencies on the island itself in the weeks prior to the gathering. This time, in collaboration with Graner, the dance and performing arts creation center with whom we have built a continuous collaborative relationship between Galicia and Catalonia since 2017. The artists who will inhabit the island in 2024 are Mar García & Javi Soler.

The imaginary they want to confront is the Ius Osculi or right of kissing, which allowed, in Ancient Rome, both the husband and the male relatives close to the "honest" woman (fathers, brothers, and cousins) to kiss her to ensure that her breath did not smell of wine, as wine consumption was prohibited for women because it was believed that it could lead them to adultery and had abortive properties.

Around the act of kissing itself, some preliminary questions arise that could be transferred to scenic creation and experimentation. One of them is posed in relation to the meaning of the act of kissing on stage, or it questions in what ways movement and sound can alter this action or its meaning. In the same way, although the act of kissing occurs between two people, we also wonder how the spectator perceives this action. Some of the questions around this line of research could be how the perception of a stage kiss can be transformed, depending on the form, duration, or intended meaning. Or if there is any way for a kiss on stage to be perceived with a truly real meaning, as the smell or pain could be, or only as a raw action devoid of meaning or reality.