What is “Uhudler”? And what does this Austrian wine, which until the early 1990s was only allowed to be produced for domestic use, have to do with the beginnings of a globalized world economy? What colonial-racist histories of violence underlie long drinks like gin and tonic or Cuba Libre? And what significance does the consumption of alcohol have in our everyday lives, especially against the background of these colonial continuities?
It is these and other questions that the Viennese artist Stefanie Sourial asks, fictionalizes and partially answers in her three-part theater performance “Colonial Cocktail”. In the announcement text of the pieces it says about this theatrical procedure:
“Complex colonial-history themes unfold a bittersweet bouquet in the familiar setting of a bar – mixed with a dash of diverse violent history from old and young vintages. The historical traces Stefanie Sourial reveals, using the example of alcohol as an everyday presence, lead to unexpected discoveries in our immediate environment.”
This twenty-minute interview with Stefanie Sourial on Radio Corax is well worth listening to, in which she talks in detail about the idea, staging, and political aspirations of her artistic practice.
„Colonial Cocktail“ – die blutige Geschichte von Trendgetränken
Some photos of the performance can be found here for example, more from Stefanie Sourial can be found here among others.