CANDID project - collaboration

CANDID is made of Tania Batzoglou and Vanio Papadelli, two Greek female artists who met in London. In 2013 they gave a promise - to present every year a performance iteration of CANDID based on how their relationship evolves over time. CANDID has become since a performance ritual that celebrates long lasting friendships and has been presented as live performance, installation, film and multimodal writing.

CANDID is a collaborative project born out of common experiences that generated shared references but also potential seeds of competition. It unfolds as a ‘truth or dare’ game - dangerous, revealing and rewarding - that weaves the stories of two women who candidly deconstruct and reinvent themselves through movement, words, touch and metaphor.

CANDID is a collage not only of our friendship but also a palimpsest of stories by other women we’ve met, sensed, imagined, read or heard about, which keeps growing and gaining layers of complexity. The real, the mythical and the imaginary are reflected and merged, unveiling and blending memories and stories - both personal and collective.

CANDID questions friendship as it raises issues of identity, sustainability, transience and commitment, at times as a shout at times as a subtle allusion. Can female friendship be reimagined as a creative, intelligent and inquisitive practice that defies stereotypes? Can female friendship be radical?

Photos Yiannis Katsaris

CANDID at Blue Elephant Theatre 2016

Devised and Performance Tania Batzoglou & Vanio Papadelli
Set & Costume Design Moi Tran
Lighting Design/Video Yiannis Katsaris
Dramaturgical advice Mary Ann Hushlak
Trailer Music Yurek Tyndorf