“In reading the history of nations, we find that, like individuals, they have their whims and their peculiarities; their seasons of excitement and recklessness, when they care not what they do. We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it. [...] Whether it be that the multitude, feeling the pangs of poverty, sympathise with the daring and ingenious depredators who take away the rich man's superfluity, or whether it be the interest that mankind in general feel for the records of perilous adventures, it is certain that the populace of all countries look with admiration upon great and successful thieves.”

– Charles Mackay in 'Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions', 1841

In 1841 Charles Mackay, a Scottish lawyer, wrote an extensive psychological study of famous mass psychoses. He gave a detailed description of collective delusions such as the crUSAdes and witch hunts, fashionable and religious movements. One of his analyses concerns a phenomenon that seems to be present in all cultures, namely, the remarkable fascination and admiration for well-known and, especially, successful thieves. Economic and political motives underlie all these collective phenomena, but at a deeper level Mackay points out that people have a tendency to lose themselves in situations where rules and conscious control have been put aside. These are the kinds of situations in which we let go of traditions and beliefs and give in to (sensory) illusions, to intoxication and dreams, central ideas of this 'chamber dance-play'. Hahn, in his work, has been fascinated for some years by experiences that go beyond the usual and well-defined sensory spectrum. From the hallucinatory experience of the phosphorescent sea in 'The Bernouilli Itinerary' (1990) to the phenomenological observations in 'On the Nature of Things' (1996) and 'The Séance' (1997), the consistent and predictable image of reality is put to the test again and again. Also here in 'Popular Admiration of Great Thieves' where the Hahn/Good duo, in a series of 'tableaux vivants', creates an imaginary journey through time and space. The darkened stage is taken up by a number of screens which form a sculptural object as well as being a projection surface. Video projections are used in each scene to create a transitory microcosmos with Good moving as a dancer within it. The boundaries of physical space are breached, removed in a kind of 'mindscape'. Then, in the context of a non-linear story, historical and imaginary places, inner and physical space are threaded together, apparently at random. From the plundered tombs of Egyptian pharaohs to a break-in at a traditional villa, the situation is never what it seems to be. Two scenes, titled 'Coup d'oeil - trompe l'oeil', seem to hold a key position. The field of tension between a glance, an observation and a (sensory) illusion created by the layered projections and the suggestive, often contrasting soundtrack, gives power to this multimedia performance. Niki Good has worked before as dancer/choreographer on multimedia projects. In 1997 she was involved with the multimedia opera 'Air B l'en verre', a project based on 'Grote Glas' (actually titled 'La MariJe mis B nu par ses Célibataires, mLme') by Marcel Duchamp, which is regarded by many as one of the first hypertext works of art. This opera, too, was placed in a mixed media environment of sound, light, music and video projections and the dance within it alternating between the smooth and fragmented. In the non-linear development of 'Popular Admiration of Great Thieves', she alternates her role as performer with that of her presence as projection screen. Her roles change as she moves through the space created by Hahn. At times she is like a plaything of the 'mixed-media' elements, at other times like a transforming presence. In the opening scene she wrestles with the violence of the breakers and it looks like she is being knocked over and swamped again and again. The video screen in the background shows the world above the water as well as that under it. Thus, she wrestles to escape from the water, but also from the image. This theme of her, as it were, entering and exiting the screen, freezing the space and then releasing it again, is repeated in several scenes. In the 'Coup d'oeil - trompe l'oeil' tableaux particularly, she is the one who creates and breaks through the optical illusion. As usual, Hahn's images at first sight look like casual observations, phenomena and events. The floor plans of Egyptian tombs, a domestic tableau as distinct from a landscape with time racing by, a shadowy street or the savage breakers. They determine, however, the expressive context within which the dancer in her movement brings about different alliances and meanings. The soundtrack recreates the space and forces the viewers to revise their initial perception. Finally, the dancer shifts the scene and the associations again. Fascination and suspense tempt the viewer into being carried along in a continually transforming universe.

– Geert-Jan Strengholt