2018 – PONYHOF // Vildskud, Quongafest
A Very Unscientific Scientific Study (performancelecture)
In 1997, Arthur Aron published his scientific paper The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness, which over the following decades has been repeatedly put through the media mill and has become what most people know as “The Formula for Love” – 36 questions that supposedly have the power to make anyone fall in love with each other in 45 minutes. Arthur Aron never claims that the questions can create love, but simply that they can create intimacy between two random people in a controlled environment.
The Formula of Love plays with the contrast between the fantasy of love and reality, between dream and theory.
The audience enters a performance lecture created by the characters Anna and Louise, complete with a whiteboard displaying the 36 questions on red cards arranged in the shape of a heart. Anna has studied Aron’s work thoroughly and strongly believes that science can help her, as she has never been in love. Louise, on the other hand, is highly critical, having lost faith in love following a breakup.
But just as they are about to begin, a third character appears – Kenneth, the cleaner – who more or less involuntarily becomes part of their little experiment. He eventually ends up on a “date” with the two women, in order to put the questions to the test.
From the very beginning, the two female characters are clearly superficial, but as they work their way through the questions, cracks begin to appear in their façades. They forget about the audience and their prejudices, greatly helped by Kenneth, who challenges their pretence with his immediate and disarming honesty.
It is not about falling in love, but about daring to open up, to be honest, and, perhaps most importantly, to experience another person doing the same.
At a time when the dating market can feel like a literal marketplace, we forget the most important thing: the intimacy between us – whether it is friendship, family, or love.
Concept and script: Ida Marie Berndt and Annika Taylor
Direction: Annika Taylor
Cast: Ida Marie Berndt, Annika Taylor, and Aske Bjerre Post/Anders Ramløse
Annika Taylor 