EU project: PUSH+.

PUSH+

Together with Imginate (Scotland), Krokusfestivalen (Belgium), Åbendans (Denmark), The Ark (Dublin) and new partner Bangkok International Children's Theatre Festival (Thailand), Scenekunstbruket and Showbox will build on the themes and experiences from PUSH. We will ensure that artists have more opportunities to develop new ideas and projects, and that the project partners get to program new performing arts at their festivals.

 

PUSH+ will focus on three themes; Home, Failure and Different Bodies. Each theme will have a focus for one year. In this work, we will also explore three artistic formats to inspire experimentation with form and content. These formats - Participatory, Site-spesific and Intergenerational, can challenge direct and interactive contact with the audience.

PUSH + will further develop the themes that were worked on in the first PUSH project, and strengthen the interest that has formed around them. The project will have different approaches to the themes, and artist development is central.

Activities:

PUSH+ Labs: Eight-day exploration labs for artists. One lab for each theme, with a total of 45 places.

PUSH+ Residencies: Two weeks of paid studio time, for up to four selected artists. One residency for each theme, with a total of 12 places.

PUSH+ Festival Presentations: Presentation of theme-related work, either "work in progress" or "public interventions " developed by participating artists at one of the partner festivals. Three festival presentations with a total of 12 places.

PUSH+ Festival Visit: A group of 10 artists and partners visit a partner festival to see performances, take part in delegate programs, and develop networks with delegates and audiences. Three visits with a total of 30 places.

PUSH+ International Workshop: A five-day workshop in Thailand, exploring the theme "Different Bodies". For performing artists from Europe and Thailand with a focus on performing artists with disabilities. 5 places in total (one from each partner).

PUSH+ Symposium: A day at The Ark in Dublin to gather, talk about and share ideas at the end of the project. 10 places in total.

PUSH+ topics:

HOME - With children in mind, what is "home"? How do we build a home? Who has the right to define what a home is? Can we do it on our own or does the definition of "home " require a community? Who are the communities or governments that enable or prevent this? Is "home " something communities can take care of, or is it something for national governments? Are children's voices heard in the discussion and decisions on these issues? Do adults and children define "home " differently? We will explore the concept of "home " and investigate whether "home" is a belonging or a place on a map.

FAILURE. Congratulations, you've failed. Why does this sound strange? Why do we consider failure as something negative? When and why did we develop the idea of complete and eternal success as the norm for human achievement? The best student, the best son, the best daughter, the best father, the best mother, the best family, the best friends, the best teacher, the best director, the best artist, just the best. PUSH+ will explore the concept of failure, why we fear it, what are its artistic possibilities and how it can prevent us from taking risks and discovering ourselves and the world around us.

DIFFERENT BODIES... The most basic thing we humans have in common is the body. The body carries many layers of references, meanings, expressions and preferences. The disabled body, the big body, the old body, the healthy body. The body is the mind of the home and closely related to it. If something happens to the body, it affects the mind and vice versa. In the course of life, both body and mind change. We are so used to the young, well-developed body and mind as the ideal that it can be difficult to open up to other expressions. That an old body can move in an artistically interesting way; that a person with Down's syndrome has a wide range of expression, or that a child has the ability to reflect on a deep level.

If you want to know more about PUSH+, get in touch!

PUSH+ is an extension of the previous EU project PUSH, which you can read more about here.

Maryam, Jaouad and Pernelle, photo by Geraldine Heaney