ERNST

ERNST is throwing a birthday party — the performing ape turns eighty. Time to look back on a life caught between the entertainment industry and a longing for the wilderness. And time to celebrate in proper ape-like fashion, with a healthy dose of ERNST! He’s planned a ritual: no laughing! Alcohol and sugar cubes for everyone! Dancer Alma Toaspern transforms into the 80-year-old ape ERNST in a set designed by Danish artist Christian Friedländer. In this piece, toaspern|moeller explore what it means to have been domesticated for decades. When does an animal become human, when does a sound become language? It’s a celebration in all seriousness, a dazzling homage to humorlessness, and a firework display of restrained emotions. A celebration of humanity. Against the grain of deadly seriousness? Music! Dance! Cigarettes! Apples!