5 Apartments Was Pretty Creepy

5 Apartments is Copenhagen’s arty, new kid on the block. It certainly isn’t your run-of-the-mill performance art, there’s no mime trying to masturbate his way out of an imaginary box or anything of the sort. And thank God for that.

5 Apartments is a performance art piece that takes place in, you guessed it, five apartments spread out across Copenhagen. Each flat is hosted by a different group that acts out  a completely different scenario. You arrive alone,  ring the bell and then immediately enter the performance. The next hour is spent in another person’s home with a couple of complete and total strangers. These strangers are performers without a script – everything is improvised and it’s up to you to decide what happens next. Personally, I ended up in a flat full of old coins, getting drunk and listening to conversations about death, stagnation and Dragon Ball Z cards. They cooked me a bunch of bacon too. 

I left the apartment feeling confused as fuck, wondering what the hell just happened. I figured it was best to have a chat with Madeleïne Käte, the brains behind this arty little venture. 

VICE: When did you get into performance art?

Madeleïne Käte: My first time at a performance was at 57 beds by Signa Köstler in 2004. Up until then I had no contact with performance art whatsoever. I had the impression that performance art was something pretentious, like a naked guy tongue-lashing his dick.

VICE: So telling-off your dick is pretentious?

Not necessarily. But I believe that many have a biased attitude towards performance art, like I had. Arriving to 57 beds, I thought I was going to some theatrical play. Instead, I stepped into this universe where I couldn’t figure out the border between fiction and reality. That really piqued my curiosity. It was the strongest art immersion I had ever experienced.

VICE: And you started making your own performances after that?

I became a performer for Signa and we started making performances together for years, which I see as my education. I got into non-acting performance art, which is really different from regular performance art that’s connected to a stage with a strong plot, costumes, choreography and a manuscript.

VICE: What about 5 A, is that non-acting?

Yeah, with 5 A the performers aren’t characters. I’m actually having a hard time using actors as performers because they are way too dramatic and that pisses me off. Actors are so melodramatic and best suited for stage performance. That’s why we don’t use them. That way, every word the performers tell you is a true anecdote from their personal lives.

VICE: Okay, so that means ‘5 Apartments’ is reality?

5 Apartments is a constructed reality. Basically, everything is constructed, like this interview right now for instance. It’s still a performance although the episodes aren’t staged and all the stories are real. So instead of creating fake universes where you build everything from scratch, I liked the idea of using rooms that already existed. I wanted to use a private space and add something as simple as the meeting between two individuals. The alternative is fiction.

Where’s the border between reality and fiction then?

There is no line.

And no rules?

There’s a set of rules for the performers of 5 Apartments. They aren’t allowed to leave the apartment at all. The apartment is their universe, and they have agreed not to leave during the 12 hour performance.

12 hours without leaving the apartment, what if they run out of toilet paper?

That would require authentic problem solving, a great example of something beautiful. I think the performers would have to contact someone outside who’s in charge.

What if people get violent or if someone’s hurt?

One of the performers actually got hurt today, but she decided to make it part of the performance.

What happened to her?

She got her hand cut and started bleeding. I checked with her but she said she was okay and wanted to use the incident in her performance. But sometimes we need to take action if it gets too dramatic.

So it gets dangerous from time to time?

It’s a dangerous type of art. I’ve experienced people who lost contact with reality. You need to have a solid mind-set. I think you have to create these universes with respect and awe. You need to know what you’re doing. The world is complex enough already, so it’s important to signal when it’s fiction and when it’s reality.

Getting drunk with the performers definitely felt real. They even asked if I’d brought any extra booze. Is it okay to get pissed drunk?

Donations – cool! Well, personally I wouldn’t like it if people turned up fucking hammered when it’s my turn to perform. But you can do what you want; you’re a free individual. 

Is that what 5 Apartments is adding to the art scene – a totally liberated audience?

What’s new is the fact that it isn’t fiction. There aren’t many elements of control. Usually a guest would get taken by the hand, get blindfolded and then be guided through a performance from A to B. I want to experiment with situations, where the guest doesn’t know what to do. I like the aspect of freedom and the fact that the guest is able to control parts of the performance. In our everyday lives, we are able to turn left or right as we please, and I actually think creating a work of art that’s too controlled is arrogant – then you’re a puppet master.

So this kind of performance hasn’t been done before?

Not as far as I know. I’ve never heard of it at least. 

What’s your main intention with Five Apartments?

The word that always comes to my mind is intimacy. To create an interaction between individuals that touches you on a deeper level. We all sail through nightlife and social media, communicating with disturbingly little real contact. It’s kind of a paradox that you have to frame intimacy with a performance like this, before it actually occurs. I find it pretty humorous.

Five Apartments is humoristic?

It’s rather amusing if the only intimate meeting you can have is a constructed one.

It’s not possible to have an intimate meeting in the real world?

Yeah, totally, of course it is. 

But a constructed one brings people closer together?

Maybe. That’s up to people to decide after the performance. Five Apartments is maybe a comment or a nudge to us, saying we need to take more chances, and dare to get closer to each other.That being said, performance art can take a real toll on your relationship.

Is that something you’ve experienced?

Sure. I know many who have broken up after long performances. Close friends of mine who I’ve worked with for many years have experienced a huge transformation in their lives when starting to perform.But there are also examples of people who have arrived as guests and fallen in love with a performer and started a relationship.

Before you leave, what’s the next step for 5 Apartments?

Next time it’s 20,000 Apartments. We’re going to take over Europe.

Good luck with that and thanks.