MANUAL

This performance, to be experienced by one person at a time, the artists Adam Kinner and Christopher Willes have been staging at libraries around the world.

"MANUAL" is a performance staged in public libraries, created through a collaboration between choreographer Hanna Sybille Müller and two artists who explore extraordinary sensory encounters through their work. This one-on-one intimate and interactive performance between audience member and performer, the direction adapts to each location, with the experience changing every time. Since its premiere in 2022, this unique approach has garnered significant attention, leading to invitations from around the world. In this Yamaguchi performance, the Yamaguchi City Central Library, situated in the same building as YCAM, will be the stage.

A quiet adventure begins in our library

"MANUAL" is an interactive piece where participant and performer meet at a particular location, then take a walk through a publiclyaccessible library. The participant receives an MP3 player, earphones, and written instructions; with these in hand, they explore the books and listen attentively to sounds through the earphones, accompanied by the performer. This piece guides participants to perspectives they have never noticed before or pages they have never turned, immersing them more deeply in the world of the library and exploring the vast realm of books. This collaborative experience also transcends the traditional audience-performer dynamic, as the artists attempt to reimagine theatrical and stage art possibilities.

Another beauty of this work lies in how it creates a unique time and space that can only be experienced in that particular location, brought to life together with the audience. For the YCAM performance, citizens selected through an open call serve as performers – guides who lead participants through the narrative — while the audio played through the earphones is based on field recordings made by the artists during their research visits to Yamaguchi.