PEOPLE AND WEAPONS

"WEAPON, weapons, feminine noun = An object, tool, device or machine used in fighting an enemy, in hunting, in some sporting events, etc." (DEX, 2009)

How is a weapon made? What are the working conditions, advantages and dangers of working in a weapons factory? How well did people live off weapons production before 1989, and how do they live off it today? How do the people who manufacture weapons come to terms with the contradictions inherent to this process, in the vicinity of war and in the midst of an economic crisis?

In Cugir, a town of 20,000 people in Transylvania, Romania's largest weapons factory has been running since 1928. It's the town's biggest employer, a state-owned factory that, during the socialist period, exported Kalashnikov machine guns across the Eastern Bloc and to non-aligned countries, and that now produces weapons for Western partners. In recent years, Cugir has seen several workplace accidents, some fatal, and a sustained protest over low wages, harsh working conditions and outdated technology.

Over the course of 2023, the project team researched the factory's recent history through interviews, informal conversations and workshops with workers, both active and retired. The stories and experiences uncovered are turned into fiction in a brigade-style artistic show that combines past and present, documents and speculation, objective data and subjective opinions, personal memories, songs, poetry and choreographic moments.