In the performance Europeana by the theatrical collective Sotterraneo, the audience is called on to observe History from above. A human being reads the entire European history of the 20th century accompanied by 100 pieces of music, one for each year.

Software is used to create a live translation of the account in binary code, a language that is considered to be potentially universal. The audio and the translation will be recorded and conserved in a time capsule in the place where the performance takes place. If, in a post-human future, someone finds the recording, Europeana - A brief history of the 20th century will seem the most suitable book for describing our species at the dawn of the third millennium.

The performance, which forms part of the cycle of events Ogni volta unica la fine del mondo, aligns with the philosophy behind sostenere lo sguardo, proposing a collective exercise in perception. As spectators and artists, we ask ourselves how we can aid our planet by looking at it through different eyes; how to focus attention on events, objects and living creatures in order to assess our relationship with the world from foreign and wild points of view.

Sotterraneo is an experimental theatrical collective that was founded in Florence in 2005. The group’s productions, which are characterised by an avant-pop approach that is a balance between collective concepts and anti-conventional ideas, form part of many of the most important national and international festivals and theatres, over the years receiving numerous forms of recognition including the Lo Straniero Award, the Hystrio Award, the BeFestival First Prize, the Silver Laurel Wreath Award/Sarajevo MESS Festival and two UBU Awards including one for “show of the year 2018” with “Overload”. Sotteraneo is part of the Fies Factory project and the European network Shift Key and is a resident collective at the Theatrical Association of Pistoia.