Have you ever wondered how much better it would be if we could start again and build the world from scratch? We could redesign everything that doesn’t quite work — the electoral system springs to mind — and come up with better versions. We could share out all the water in a more equitable fashion – or could we? Is it possible to create a paradise on earth?
It’s the notion explored in the latest show from Third Angel and Mala Voadora, in which form and content are closely entwined. Stacey Sampson and Jerry Killick are rebuilding the world in front of us. We watch them cooperating as they screw together tables and discuss how to make this brave new world fair and equitable for all. But it’s easier said than done. If you don’t want to hear what someone is saying, you can drown out their voice with a drill. It’s all very well to say resources should be equally distributed, but what if somebody else’s need is greater than your own? And how can you be certain it is greater and they are not just saying they are needier?
Third Angel have always been a philosophically inclined company engaging with the big issues about how we live with a fierce intelligence. That’s apparent in a show that always make you use your head but never quite engages with the heart. Like the white-tiled floor and walls of the design, it sometimes feels a little cold, the problems it grapples with a little too first world. Despite the dispatches from those who have previously tried to find paradise, this remains a fascinating but frustrating game detached from the painful messiness of the real world.
- At Summerhall until 30 August. Box office: 0131-226 0000.
