The Trial Against Ourselves: Join the jury!
On Christmas Eve 2015, Edy Poppy, Julian Blaue and their little baby were assaulted during a vacation in Rio de Janeiro by two impoverished men. They later defined themselves as the guilty ones and are now staging a trial against themselves. This is your unique chance to join the jury and determine their fate!
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When the family came back to Norway after the assault in 2015, they had time to reflect on the incident. Who were the real victims? Blaue & Poppy regretted having reported their assaulters to the tourist police and decided to prosecute themselves instead.
“We realized that we, just by being part of the middle class, possibly are contributing to the poverty of the global underclasses. That is a form of structural violence. We enacted a law against structural violence in spring 2018 at Sørlandets kunstmuseum and reported ourselves for having broken this law ”, Blaue & Poppy say.
The couple then travelled back to Rio de Janeiro on an investigative journey, and held an ‘Interim Report’ performance at Museu de Arte do Rio, Kristiansand kunsthall and other prestigious venues. In this third and last performance ‘The Trial Against Ourselves’, they will present their findings as evidence of their supposed crime.
A ‘Real’ trial?
Given that this law is not legally valid, the courthouse will be on stage. However, to make the trial a precedent case, juridical norms will be followed; to be ‘as real as possible and as theatrical as necessary’, is one motto of ‘The Trial Against Ourselves’. The prosecutor is on Blaue & Poppy’s side, arguing for their guilt. The defence lawyer defends them against their will. There will be cross-examination, testimony and expert statements. You can become part of the jury and decide the fate of Blaue & Poppy together with the judge. Can a ‘theatre-verdict’ with no legal consequences, have consequences after all? Can an artistic precedent bring the law against structural violence away from the stage and into the parliament, and the accused out of the theatre and into the courthouse? Let’s find out!
Blaue & Poppy accuse themselves of a crime with global consequences. Therefore, a global jury, streamed live onto the stage by CourtStageTV, is needed. This international court-theatre channel will broadcast the event worldwide, reaching a global audience who can witness that ‘The Trial Against Ourselves’ will be just and fair. CourtStageTV promises juicy and surprising stories, unexpected turns of events and real trauma. You need to see it to believe it!
Laura Mitzkus, The Representative of the Prosecutor:
Samantha Lawson, The Representative of the Defence:
Jacob Jensen, the representative of the Judge
Each broadcasted event of ‘The Trial Against Ourselves’ is live, unique and unpredictable. Attorney and prosecutor use necessary strategies to persuade Blaue & Poppy into giving uncensored testimonies. At the same time, the judge ensures that the legal rules are followed. If the jury, hopefully with you as a member, finds Blaue & Poppy guilty, the judge will sentence them with a punishment, not yet known. If the jury finds them not guilty, the show is over.
Watch CourtStageTV’s live broadcast here:
15 April 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QLhUOFYpiY&ab_channel=Kildenteaterogkonserthus
16 April 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0H5_pTfaQ4&ab_channel=Kildenteaterogkonserthus
17 April 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VonM0SZtbm4&ab_channel=Kildenteaterogkonserthus
All three performances start at 19:30 (Oslo time), 18:30 (London time), 15:30 (Rio de Janeiro time), 13:30 (New York time), 10:30 (Los Angeles time), 23:59 (New Delhi time).