Performing Identity - performance art facing contemporary societal challenges

Performing Identity is a nomadic program of learning and practice in performance art taking place over two academic years 22/23 and 23/24, which came out from the dialogue in between Marta Bosowska, Áine Phillips, Antoine Pickels, Christophe Alix and Michela Sacchetto, who assumed its coordination.

It involves 20 students from the higher level art education from the 4 Art schools/universities partners: ENSAV - La Cambre and ESA Le 75 in Brussels (BE), Magdalena Abakanowicz Univeristy of the Arts Poznań (PL) and Burren College of Art in the West of Ireland (IE).

It offers a series of workshops at the partner institutions and festivals, Verão Azul - transdisciplinary Festival of Contemporary Arts in Lagos (PT), New Performance Turku Biennale in Turku (FI) and (Pas si) Fragile ! in Brussels (BE), including performance practice, professional and theoretical encounters and the creation of performances in varied public frameworks.

Addressing questions of identity, the program engages diverse pedagogies with different cultural criteria. Both learning and practice activate intersectional research and practices within performance art while in dynamic response to the context where it is created. Thematically, it raises questions on identity constructions anchored in contemporary problematics and in social, political, cultural and historical contexts.

The series of structured workshops and meetings in the various countries over two years involve students in the encounter between art works and research. The intersection between art practice and knowledge supports the student in the creation of their own performative responses. The workshops provide the opportunity to create new works while being supported by a team of experienced artists and teachers delivering the necessary tools for student performers to experiment, take risks and assert real artistic originality. In a final intensive festival program in Brussels 2024, they will present their works.

In parallel, a group of students and teachers of ESA Le 75, in dialogue with the student performers, generated a live archive of the pedagogical and performance experiences, which feed this website.

Performing Identity would not have been possible without the administrative coordination by Jolanta Grek from Univeristy of the Arts Poznań, Julia Long from the Burren College, Hélène Perreau and Lucas Limongelli from ENSAV - La Cambre and Elisabeth Ruggiu from ESA Le 75. Special thanks to the artistic insight and the contribution to the pedagogical program go to Joana Duarte and Andrea Sozzi from Casablanca / Verão Azul festival in Lagos, Sandrine Crisostomo and Daniel Matos from Verão Azul festival, Leena Kela and Anni Sundbacka from New Performance Festival in Turku, Emilie Wacker and Elena Frau from Studio Thor and (Pas si) Fragile! 2024 festival.

Performing Identity is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

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