Augustyn en Zijn Vader
Augustyn en Zijn Vader is a deeply intimate and auto-ethnographic solo performance of mine, directed by Hilt de Vos. Drawing inspiration from Franz Kafka’s Letters to His Father, the piece explores the complex terrain of family, migration, masculinity, and identity. At the heart of the work lies Kafka’s metaphor of The Burrow—a labyrinth symbolising the struggle to define “home” amid internal and external pressures. Aris weaves this literary theme with autobiographical elements, touching on his father’s migration from Portugal to Germany, and the inherited cultural conflicts that persist in the space between.
Set within a minimalist aesthetic and guided by movement, voice, and text, the performance navigates the emotional and psychological landscape of a fictional character, Augustyn. Born from the artist’s personal experiences and layered cultural background, Augustyn is shaped by the tensions of intergenerational expectations, authoritarian parenting, and the legacy of emigration.
Developed through residencies at Maatschappij Discordia and CLOUD/danslab, the project combines theatricality, uncanniness, and a touch of humour to reflect on serious socio-cultural themes. With a modest production budget and strong support from local institutions such as Het Nationale Theatre, Maatschappij Discordia, Gemeente Den Haag, and various collaborators, the premiere at Zaal3 marks the next big staging.
Through this work, I seek to forge a connection between Kafka’s haunting familial introspection, bureaucracy and the contemporary realities of migration and identity, offering audiences a raw, reflective, and resonant experience.
Concept & Direction: Hilt de Vos and Leon Lapa Pereira
Performance: Leon Lapa Pereira
Cinematography, Photos & Video: Gergely Ofner
© 2024, Leon Lapa Pereira
Aris Leon Lapa Pereira (he/him) is a cross-disciplinary performance researcher exploring the boundaries of performative life. Deeply embedded in the landscape of Artistic Research, his personal practice is consistently informed by philosophical inquiry. By merging mechanical and technical knowledge with performative elements, he engages with multiple disciplines with genuine enthusiasm.
Currently focused on the de-romanticisation of nature, Leon investigates the Rights of Nature—specifically, the rights of water—in collaboration with the Embassy of the North Sea. Through this partnership, he co-founded the Confluence of European Water Bodies, a growing network of activist organisations that support his research into intercultural relationships and intimate connections with water.
Alongside this, he is a curator at the Instrument Inventors Initiative (iii) and co-founder of the WASTELAND Festival, where he leads research and performance curation through an ecological lens. Co-creation and collaboration are not just professional principles for Leon, but also sociological commitments—central to his Resonant Bodies Residencies, where these concepts are deeply explored.
For Leon, co-living is a vital practice that is increasingly endangered by today’s polycrisis. He is, therefore, continually seeking methods and tools to cultivate honest, careful, and communal environments.
