The artist Rita Mazza takes over the festival centre for a week. A black dance floor has been laid out for her there. Visual poetry is an art form that originated in the Deaf community and refers to poetry in Sign languages. Since Sign languages consist of a system of movements and expressions that are communicated physically, the comparison between visual poetry and contemporary dance techniques may seem obvious. However, choreography and Sign languages are subject to different codes and systems whose rules and structures are not directly comparable. What emerges when choreographic means such as rhythm and repetition come into contact with signs from the system of Sign languages? What traces of choreography can be found in the signs?

During this residency, Rita Mazza developed a choreographic variation on the Italian sign for “once upon a time.” The resulting video was presented as part of the festival.