Saturday, 28 March 2026, 8 pm

Manuel Gerst: The Metamorphosis

It's The Real Thing – Basel Documentary Platform 
Installation and performance by Manuel Gerst

The beetle will be on display at Museum Tinguely before (18–26 March) and after the performance (29 March–12 April).

The performance The Metamorphosis will take place on 28 March 2026 at Kaserne Basel, 8 p.m. 

 

It is the most famous opening of any novel in modern literature. Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect. His family's pity soon turns to alienation and aggression. His last ties to the human sphere are his beloved sister's violin playing and the erotically charged image of a lady in a fur coat. In the end, Samsa's death is a relief for everyone. 

Set designer and director Manuel Gerst, a former member of the cult performance group Monster Truck, transforms Kafka's famous story into a daring theatrical event. At the centre of his production is the figure of the tragic beetle, who once again enters into a process of transformation all his own. References to bachelor parties and aggression reduction in groups meet action art and destruction art, Kafka meets Ayn Rand, Joseph Beuys meets Judith Butler. Caught between vulnerability and integrity, Kafka's parable is read here as a story about disability. The aggression towards the deformed other in the story is directed on stage towards the object.

 

It’s The Real Thing – Basler Dokumentartage 5 is supported by: Swisslos-Fonds Basel-Stadt, Swisslos Basellandschaft, Pro Helvetia, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung and Christoph Merian Stiftung.