Portraits in Motion

Premiere 2005 
Running time 1 hour 15 minutes. No intermission. 
In English with Slovenian surtitles. 
With post-performance discussion and presentation. 
 
Created and performed by Volker Gerling 
 
Topics walking – duration – people – meetings – storytelling – photography and film – flipbook 

Volker Gerling is a passionate creator of flipbooks and an intrepid traveller. Since 2003, he has walked some 4,000 km on foot, inviting people to visit his travelling "thumb book cinema" exhibition and from time to time capturing the hidden magic of seemingly everyday encounters, transforming these into new photographic flipbooks. He believes that "Pictures learn to walk when you carry them around."
In his show, Gerling moves through the flipbooks with his thumb underneath a video camera and projects the images onto a screen. He tells stories about the people he portrays. In a series of enchanting and precious moments the people he photographed come to life as he shares a gentle but profound reflection upon the transitory nature of the moment and the significance of interpersonal encounters.
The author regularly walks, so his show constantly develops – he adds photographs and stories at the leisurely pace of a walker. 

Award 2015, Total Theatre Award, Edinburgh Fringe