Undeclared Work

What is it about?

Many people who work on construction sites have come from another country. They build our cities. They build our houses. Yet people often do not see them. And their work gets little recognition.

Eman Hussein is a dancer and choreographer. Her piece Undeclared Work is about the people who work on construction sites. It is about what happens to their bodies and their feelings, and what they experience.

What happens on stage?

There is scaffolding on stage. Three people dance between the scaffolding. They make movements like when working on a construction site. They repeat these movements again and again. They breathe loudly and get tired. This way, work movements slowly turn into dance movements.

Sometimes the dancers seem to be in a trance. This means: They are completely absorbed in the movement. On stage, you see how much the people have to endure. You see how vulnerable they are. And you see that they resist.

The music is created live on stage during the piece. It comes from the materials and rhythms of a construction site. You also hear voices and memories of workers from different times and countries.

What does this have to do with Switzerland?

In the past, many people came to Switzerland from Italy. They came for seasonal work. This means: They were only allowed to work here for a certain time each year.

In 1970, there was a vote in Switzerland: the Schwarzenbach Initiative. It wanted far fewer people from other countries to live in Switzerland.

The piece connects this history with today. Today, too, construction work is often insecure for people from other countries. This is the case all over the world. These people are often not well protected.

The question of the piece

What remains of the bodies of the people who build our cities? When their work is finished and the houses are still standing for a long time.