180° CIRCLE
ISSUE 7 I DECEMBER 2024
Dear Friends,
We’re excited to share this special edition of 180° Circle, a moment to reflect on a remarkable year for us. The 2024 edition of our festival, for the first time held at the beginning of October, welcomed artists from around the world to explore their interpretations of the theme “tacet.” The festival presented a rich variety of performances, workshops, and exhibitions, bringing together experimental music, contemporary dance, visual arts, performance, and literature in new and creative ways.
Another milestone in 2024 was the pilot edition of our CriticLab Project, part of the 180° Community Lab. CriticLab supports emerging voices in both critical and creative writing, offering a platform for fresh perspectives on the independent arts scene in Sofia. Participants attended a variety of events across the city’s vibrant arts ecosystem, engaging with diverse performances and exhibitions, while also taking part in mentoring sessions and workshops to refine their skills.
We’re happy to feature texts by this year’s participants Ivasha, Maria, Biliana, Mihail, and Kaloyan, who reflect on standout events from 180° Festival, ACT Festival, and Aerowaves in Sofia Festival. This is a result of our participation in the 3XP1RIENCE platform, a collaborative initiative that unites 180°, CIRKOLUTION! MiniArt Festival, ACT Festival, and Aerowaves in Sofia to foster dialogue and sustainable connections among cultural organizations, artists, and managers within the contemporary arts scene.
Looking towards 2025, we are filled with enthusiasm for the next steps in our journey. Your continued support and the vibrant 180° community are what drive us forward. We are excited to keep pushing boundaries and creating spaces where diverse artistic voices can thrive.
Thank you for being with us—may the New Year bring you new inspiration, exciting collaborations, and opportunities to explore the extraordinary.
With heartfelt gratitude and festive cheer,
Mihaela, Milena, Kate, Simona, Iva, and Alex
/180° Team/
180º FESTIVAL
by Maria Getova
It’s Friday night. You enter Club DOM precisely at 9:00 p.m. As usual, the lighting in the club is dim, and at first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
Then you hear radio static—or more precisely, a “noise” from a fading radio signal—followed by the classic Bulgarian tune “Замълчи, замълчи” (Be quiet, be quiet). On the wall in front of you, an abstract video installation appears, complementing the musical backdrop. Next, the radio connection clears up, the static stops, and you hear the voices of the organizers of Festival “180°,” even though you cannot see them. Instead, two radios are placed on a pair of armchairs in front of you, and in the center of the space, near the club’s DJ booth, stands a large pink sofa.
You already sense that something different is about to happen—this isn’t just another ordinary club night. After all, it’s the opening of Festival “180°,” the only festival in Sofia designed entirely around the principles of multidisciplinarity, creative laboratory work, and spontaneous creativity. Artists and participants in the festival’s eleventh consecutive edition were introduced at the opening in Club DOM on October 4—or that very Friday night.
They all sat on the pink sofa, challenged to introduce themselves in a few words, or even just a sound. Their introductions were given within the framework of four teams that, during the festival, had the task of developing and presenting their artistic responses to the theme tacet (a state of silence or a rest in a musical score). The opening continued with a collaboration between Club DOM and the festival: on the evening of October 4, the club featured four rooms with several guest artists or DJs in each, creating a labyrinth of diverse and immersive soundscapes.
Musicians and DJs invited by Festival “180°”—Marie Delprat, Andreas Eduardo Frank, and Denim Shzram—turned one of these four rooms into a space with its own musical atmosphere. Marie Delprat’s mysterious and meditative experimental set, Andreas Frank’s playful oriental rhythms, and Denim Shzram’s industrial techno were vastly different yet complemented each other over the course of the evening.
That is also the concept behind the entire festival. During Festival “180°,” collaborations were presented between a director, a pianist, and a dancer/choreographer; a performance artist, a flutist, and a visual artist; a curator, an experimental musician, and a digital artist; as well as an arts-student laboratory featuring students from different countries. These four teams presented their artistic solutions at the festival’s partner venues—Club DOM, Swimming Pool, The Loft, and the Red House.
Searching for common ground in the work of individual artists goes hand in hand with Festival “180°”’s desire to create partnerships and foster a sustainable cultural environment. For this reason, a discussion on the topic “Cultural Partnerships: Paths to Collaboration in the Cultural Sector” was held at the Traveler’s Club (Клуб на пътешественика), attended by numerous representatives of cultural institutions.
A good example of establishing cultural partnerships is the creation of the “3XPER1ENCE” initiative, in which, apart from Festival “180°,” the following festivals are involved: ACT Festival for Indpendent Theatre, “Cirkolution! – Mini Art Fest,” and “Aerowaves in Sofia: International Festival for Contemporary Dance.” Thanks to this initiative, for two months, original cultural productions of an international caliber were presented every evening in Sofia.
Just like that Friday night at Club DOM, this year’s edition of Festival “180°” managed to surprise, to make the audience rethink the boundaries of art, and to immerse everyone in a 180-degree labyrinth of experiences.
Maria Getova (b. 1999, Ruse) holds a BA in Cultural Studies and an MA in “Arts and Modernity (20th–21st Century)” from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” and specialized in Literary and Media Studies at the University of Tübingen. She briefly worked at the National Museum of Natural History (BAS) and is currently Expert in Festival Activities at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre.
She won second prize at the 2022 Veselin Hanchev National Poetry Contest. In 2023, her debut poetry collection, Poluraspad, was published and recognized at Peroto National Literary Awards and the “Yuzhna Prolet” competition. A co-founder of the Literature Above Zero Foundation, her work has been published by the Cultural Center of Sofia University, Literaturen Vestnik, and Kultura portal.
COMMUNITY LAB
by Mihail Atanasov
How exactly does one write about a performance that transcends the boundaries of the stage and takes on the dimensions of a social experiment? This question arose for me after witnessing the work of the students and young artists participating in the Creativity Lab, an initiative within the framework of the 180° Festival. Its main idea is to bring together artists from different countries and disciplines who, without knowing each other beforehand, spontaneously create concepts—embodiments of a collective creative process during the festival. The audience is invited to observe up close the building of these artistic bridges—almost as if partaking in a social experiment.
With this in mind, I headed to the art space Swimming Pool for the performance by the young talents of the Creativity Lab. I expected to be there merely as an observer and later write about “experiencing” the event in a purely metaphorical sense. However, what unfolded drew the audience directly into the heart of the performance, turning us into secondary participants, if not more.
The artists effortlessly shaped the audience’s experience, as though our minds were the clay they were working with. That experience was fragmented into individual pieces—one for each of us. This fragmentation was most palpable in moments where an artist would ask us to produce sound in a way unique to each individual. Under such a condition, one has no choice but to develop hypersensitivity to every sound and noise around them, hearing each distinctly, yet simultaneously. It was a sensory and orientational challenge that ultimately brought catharsis through the shared experience.
This was followed by a contrasting moment of emotional unity, as the audience was drawn into shared silence, bringing the scattered pieces back into a cohesive whole. The dim lighting and smoke in the confined space guided our collective consciousness—a conscious inhabiting of oneself, but in close proximity to the other, who was doing the same. All these individual existences converged into a common point of stark individuality yet profound interconnectedness. Once again, the performance touched the limits of the tangible.
The artists adapted the atmosphere in response to the immediate state of the audience. At times, it wasn’t us watching them—it was them observing us. The architects of this unique artistic universe had turned the magnifying glass on us. We were the social experiment.
Such creative deconstruction and reimagining of the performance concept is a post-postmodern breath of fresh air in the sea of mundane daily life.
180° Creativity Lab 2024 was mentored by Ksenia Ravvina, Kalina Georgieva and Alexandar Hadjiev with participants Antonia Ivanova, Desisalava Stefanova, Tsvetina Mihaylova, Joanna Zinovieva, Magdalina Stoyanova, Alexandra Popova, Jole Perniola, Ingvild Ness, Michela Rondinon, Sarah-Merveille Uwimana and Stefan Vasilev.
Event took place on 06 October 2024 in Swimming Pool.
Mihail Atanasov graduated in 2024 with a degree in English Philology from Sofia University. During his studies, he focused on text interpretation, occasionally extending this work to include film analysis. His interest in criticism began in high school, initially centered on literary criticism due to his specialized curriculum. Over time, this expanded into a broader passion for critique across various fields. Mihail also has experience translating articles for the Diplomatic Spectrum website, covering cultural events across different areas of the arts.
ANOTHER TAKE ON TACET, OR WHAT ARE WE REALLY WAITING FOR
by Billyana Todorova
On Wednesday, October 9th, I found myself in an unusual waiting room, spending 40 minutes in agonizing suspense. I had no idea what I was waiting for, but I certainly didn’t get it. Paradoxically, the memory of this experience fills me with satisfaction. How did that happen?
The performance by curator Viktoria Draganova (Bulgaria), experimental musician Marie Delprat (Switzerland), and digital artist Tom Lane (UK/Germany) took place at Club DOM as part of this year’s 180° Festival, centered on the theme tacet (“silence”). It transformed the space into the foyer of some unnamed yet imposing institution.
At the entrance, you’re handed a slip with a number. You find a seat and a magazine to browse while a diligent mechanical voice calls the numbers, summoning them one by one. Even though you know this isn’t real, a subtle anxiety creeps in—will they call my number, and what will be expected of me when they do? And who, exactly, are “they”?
The lights dim around you. Deafening electronic music oscillates between painfully low and piercingly high frequencies, gripping your thoughts and anchoring them in this unbearable, seemingly endless present of discomfort. It’s too dark to read the magazines, and too noisy to, like in a Sartre play, confess your sins to the person sitting next to you in an attempt to understand what you’ve done to deserve this suffering.
If you refuse to suffer, you’re left with one option: rationalize your situation. You tell yourself, “This is an obvious nod to Kafka.” Here you are—a modern-day Josef K., unjustly accused, detained against your will, subjected to the torment of an endless, inexplicable process. You might even feel slightly smug, thinking you’ve figured it out, because, after all, you’ve read Kafka.
But no one asks what you’ve read, and your mind continues dramatizing the enforced inactivity: maybe not Kafka, perhaps you’re in Nabokov’s Invitation to a Beheading or Beckett’s Waiting for Godot; or perhaps you’re Tantalus, doomed to eternal hunger and thirst, tormented by the expectation that you’ll finally, finally, be satisfied.
Your attempts to cast yourself as a tragic hero prove as fruitless as Tantalus’s efforts to grasp the fruit hanging just out of reach. Sure, you might be an absurd hero, but even that is a thankless task. And what’s the point of being a hero to whom nothing happens, who provokes nothing?
Soon, anxiety gives way to boredom. You start asking yourself—why did I come here? Outside, one of the last warm October evenings is slipping away, irretrievably lost, and I’m not there to experience it; in fact, I’m experiencing nothing. A mere performance has put my life on pause. Minutes stretch endlessly, and the world outside becomes a distant, tempting mirage. And then, after what feels like an eternity, just as your mind begins to fog with resignation, a message flashes on the wall screens: “Thank you for waiting. We are now closed.” The tension in the room suddenly releases in laughter. We are free.
For the first time since the festival began, I didn’t want to linger after the performance. I didn’t want to talk to anyone—I needed to get outside as quickly as possible. I longed to be back on Sofia’s cracked sidewalks, amidst the traffic noise, curious about what lay ahead. Without offering me a moment of pleasure, those 40 minutes of waiting sparked an impatience for life.
Instead of coddling the audience, lulling them with silence that offers solace and an hour’s reprieve from the world, this interpretation of the tacet theme achieved something entirely unexpected: it defamiliarized that same world, making it extraordinary once more. As I stepped outside, I suddenly knew: there’s no need to wait for anything here.
Team 3 event took place on 09 October 2024 at Club DOM.
Billyana Todorova is completing a Bachelor’s degree in Bulgarian Philology. Over the past three years, her work has focused on writing for theater, cinema, and television. In 2022, she published her debut poetry collection. In 2023, she co-founded the Literature Above Zero Foundation with Maria Getova, dedicated to exploring alternative ways of promoting Bulgarian literature and connecting it with other forms of artistic expression.
BOYS
by Kaloyan Veshkov
“BOYS” is a bold exploration of masculinity and its subtleties. The performance delves into the unspoken aspects of male identity, venturing into deep, often uncomfortable territories of power, vulnerability, and subconscious impulses. Through a dynamic blend of choreography and theatricality, it challenges societal norms about what it means to be a man today. With its innovative use of movement, sound, and lighting, the show becomes a multi-layered experience that pushes boundaries and provokes thought.
Visually, the stage was striking in its simplicity. A single rope hung ominously from the ceiling, complementing the dark, empty space. Everything was shrouded in silence and anticipation. That silence was broken by a sudden burst of techno music and drum beats, setting the show’s intense tone. Lighting transformed the space, partitioning the stage into zones and creating a sense of shifting perspectives. One particularly memorable moment featured one of the performers at center stage, entwined in three ropes that lifted and held him aloft, with three other performers each controlling one rope. Another performer, wearing a pink tutu, danced like a marionette at the back of the stage. The lighting confined him to a square field, as if locking him into his role—like he was in a box—offering a sharp commentary on social perception.
For me, “BOYS” was a rare and daring theatrical experience. Toplocentrala proves itself as a venue ready to host performances that provoke and challenge audiences, especially works that might alienate or unsettle them in today’s climate. The show struck a delicate balance between humor and raw truths, forcing us to confront the uncomfortable reality of how masculinity is defined and understood. It skillfully revealed the fragility of male roles in contemporary culture by combining moments of absurdity with profound social critique. This is not a performance to simply watch—it prompts self-reflection and, for some, a re-examination of deeply ingrained beliefs about gender and identity.
“Boys” by FrenÁk Company took place on 16 October 2024 in Toplocentrala as part of ACT Festival 2024.
Kaloyan Veshkov is currently a fourth-year student of scenography. This year, he participated in an Erasmus exchange program in Warsaw, where he further developed his expertise in scenography with a particular emphasis on film art. During his studies in Warsaw, he engaged in courses on scriptwriting and film dramaturgy analysis, which ignited his interest in writing—a field he had not previously explored in depth. Art has always occupied a central place in his life, and he consistently seeks to explore a wide range of artistic forms and approaches. He holds a keen interest in alternative educational systems that encourage him to broaden the boundaries of his creative work.
THE METAPHYSICAL MYTHOLOGIZING OF A SHARED WORLD
by Ivasha Hristova
As I walked out of Derida Hall, my thoughts floated beautifully, beyond the grasp of words—those fleeting whims trying to catch up with the emotions that had taken hold of me. Everything began with the memory of the evening of November 19th—the way her ankles cracked, echoing like laughter through the hall. And then her fragile smile, shyly lingering in the air, tied to sentences almost unfinished. Her near-perfect foreign language contrasted against the physicality of her body. Dozens of eyes fixed on her expression—each gesture of her body a visible reality, inviting us to supplement, interpret, or embrace it. Sara Balzingher and Isaiah Wilson offered a subtle and tender experience, partially turned toward us as they dismantled and rearranged the concept of performance art through their creation, “Megastructure.” In its air, we searched for ourselves.
We were infected by the illness of questions: “Am I the only one suffering? Is it different for me?” Then came a whirlwind of visible truths about the specifics of human relationships. They moved together, breathing into each other’s mouths, like Ulay and Marina Abramović once did, their references carrying the finesse of elementary particles—created, fragmented, and dissolved. They contorted their limbs to the limits of the impossible, walking alone yet together.
Almost facing each other, their gazes beckoned us as they stared outward, drawing the spirit of each joint into the conflict. In the silence of the hall, we could hear their internal monologue—aided by the deliberate absence of music, allowing us to hear the pure rhythm of our own hearts, uninterrupted: “To put her through this and watch it happen, to catch up with her, reach her, to be with him, beside him, to change myself so that I could…”
The silence and their breath filled the bare hall. Elegant touches, the challenge of trying the other, the anticipation of their reaction. Isaiah arranged her doll-like figure in combinations of infinity within the mundane spaces of their everyday existence. The feeling of in medias res lingered—I felt immersed in the middle of the action, at the heart of their intimacy. Each of us, seated as voyeurs, detached yet comfortably placed to participate through complicit glances. The audience was invited not only to observe but also to reflect—what constitutes a performance? What makes it impactful? The retold metaphor of love and coexistence bewitched us—a series of unimpeded compromises, seeking the unstable nothingness or the uncertain void that allows us to conquer one another without losing ourselves entirely in the other.
What else, beyond this? How can we collectively imagine the metaphysical mythologizing of a shared world—one where we cannot do without the other, yet are not bound to each other to the point of madness? Without the usual theatrical techniques, “Megastructure” transforms into a minimalist yet powerful dialogue between performers and viewers. This is not merely a performance but a spatial exploration of the boundaries of the stage and the possibilities of our bodies and perceptions.
“Megastructure” plays with the form and structure of dance as art, as well as with human limits—both physical and emotional. It is a duet in constant flux and transformation, revealing new layers through bodily expression and dynamic interplay. The shadows of the performers chase each other under seemingly subdued lights. Their figures reshape perceptions and parables about limits, boundaries, and thresholds—a laconic testament to the wonder of the human body’s potential.
“Megastructure” by Sarah Baltzinger & Isaiah Wilson took place on 19 November 2024 in Derida Stage as part of Aerowaves in Sofia Festival 2024.
Ivasha Hristova is a writer, editor, and event organizer. She began publishing at age 11 and has studied Author’s Theatre, French Philology, and Anthropology in Sofia. She is the founder of Evolyutsia literary newspaper and the Balkan Exhibit collective, organizing multidisciplinary festivals like Balkan Exhibit Fest. In 2023, she debuted her first performance, Ares Ritmus, and published périphérie, an experimental book blending literature and photography. Ivasha’s work explores the intersections of art, literature, and performance.
CriticLab is funded by the Culture Programme of the Sofia Municipality.
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