Performance and activism - call from ILGA Europe
ILGA-Europe – the European association of LGBTI organizations - are exploring links between performing arts and LGBTI activism. They are particularly interested in bringing to LGBTI activists the knowledge and experience of performing artists/ trainers to facilitate new strategies for active citizenship in contexts where "traditional" activism is hindered by political and social conditions. Let us know if you/ your company have practical or theoretical knowledge in performance as a form of active citizenship/ political and social participation/ mode of public assembly to address injustice where freedom of assembly is violated. We will get back to you soon to discuss further!
I would be very interested in learning more about the agency and/or urgency in the approach to performative acts as means of expression of civil voices.
There is a fine yet drastic line between attracting/navigating attention to a burning issue and promoting/suggesting an optional solution.
My experience of such activism/advocacy is mainly in bringing up issues that need more collective attention but not specifically suggesting a practical solution.
I am interested in the context in which these acts/efforts are being exposed. How do we make our voices heard by those who seem to not respect our fundamental needs and rights on regular basis, without causing the counter reaction to the one we are seeking and potentially cause more fear/repulsion/discrimination rather than listening and collaboration?
In 2016 I made a work called HERE. THERE, YET NOWHERE which was part of the co-production called GODLIKE.
The work deals with the ability and capability of humans to sacrifice their on life or someone else's life just to demonstrate their belief in an abstract concept such as God, nation or love.
Where is the line between belief and addiction when the substance, be it chemical or spiritual is stronger than the life itself?
The piece performed in religious venues (study rooms, churches etc.) to a very diverse audience.
I think the work inspired thoughts and lays the attention in the right places. However, that process made me genuinely ponder over the role/relevance of art as a political tool. Is art ever really political or is it only capable of perhaps inspiring people to make the change that the art is advocating for?
Art is also an abstract concept. It is what we believe that it is.
Has an art piece ever changed the law somewhere? Has an art piece ever started or ended a war somewhere?
I would be very interested in learning about such occasion.
There is a distinction between art and life. Art is inspired by life and might influence life but it is not purely life as such.
Activism is life itself. It is the route on which we march the parades that we explain through art and then comment on through art.
I will also be interested in learning about existing examples of where the line between art and life was completely blurred away and the political voice of art made noticeable changes in the physical life as well.
HI Elena, is this only for IETM members (at first, anyway)? I can connect this call to a great (very international) organisation in the States..... shall I? Or not?
Hi Elena. One of the projects I’m currently working on is called «Occupy Fantasy!», an international research platform inspired by experiences both from real democracy movements and artistic experimentation on new ways of conversing and assembling as a form of socio-artistic engagement, which aims to collectively investigate current emergencies and their subversive potential as opportunities for change through the intensification of civic culture and dissident imagination, in an attempt of effective interference and resistance to centre-staged politics ever-evading the public revolts and pressures by assimilating and annihilating in praxis all traditional forms of protest.
It was successfully presented for the first time at Kampnagel - Hamburg in the frame of PSi # 23 Conference, on 11th June 2017, and continues as an ongoing open process, a «social sculpture» and an artistic experiment on what this interplay between the arts, the critical imagination and the political, might generate. Of course, the quality of our Democracies, pluralism and human rights are in the core of this quest touching upon main societal issues, such as accessibility, inclusiveness, minorities and LGBTI rights, civic empowerment and protection of the Commons.
In your disposition for further details.
Our organization Label 109 produces Rappers and organizes some open air concerts to give them voice to tell what is wrong in society like bad governance, injustice
Hi Elena, we do in the frames of HomoCosmos Intl Theatre Project. The project presents a series of performances, the central theme of which is the Human, body and corporeality, external and internal search for the self in space and time. The project removes the brackets, allowing what is hidden in them - the taboo - to become a topic of discussion, an open dialogue initiated by actors on the stage.
Just have had a premiere in Spring 2017 of "The God of Tickling", based on Nikolay Rudkovsky’s play, director: David Mgebrishvili (Georgia). The theme of this production is modernity as a tragic phenomenon. The main character Ilya is a talented photographer, a homosexual, who creates on the film an imprint of his dreams, fantasies and complexes.
The part of production is an obligatory after-talk with the audience.
Let me know if you need more details.
Thanks you all for your replies! I'm sharing the info with our ILGA colleagues and they'll get in touch to let you know if some of these projects fit their needs, and/or to get more details. @MA: yes, at this stage the call is just for IETM members, but good to know that you may have other examples in mind!
Hi Elena,
This interests me enormously. I think there are often big gulfs between the arts community and artist /activists. The gap and lines of division are blurring and its a rich area for discussion. This debate can feel similar to the one defining difference between 'pure' arts and community cultural development or arts with social purpose. Some questions are: who leads the project - artist or political agenda; what is the overall intention behnind the work/action; what is the difference between art and propaganda (Especially in the world of fake news)? etc. With hundreds of thousands of people on the streets protesting in cities across the world every week alongside the frequently small houses for performance - its important for artists/ arts workers to reimagine how their art and relationship to an activist public are working too.
Thank you Pippa! Relevant points - good news is that some colleagues from the ILGA staff are joining the Brussels meeting so I'll make sure you meet them!