Scenekunst Østfold presents Scenekunst Østfold is the Norwegian member of IN SITU European Network for Artistic Creation in Public Space. In cooperation with NonStop International Theatre Festival and Momentum 8 - Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art, this special Focus program will look at how artists are increasingly using the public realm as the basis for their work. Combining site-sensitive performances, pre sentations, dialogues and workshops, we will investigate strategies for urban and industrial arenas as well as the natural landscape. IN SITU Focus Strategies for Art in the Public Realm 17. 19. September 2015 Moss, Norway
IN SITU Network META & PLATFORM Members on Nov. 1st 2014 COORDINATION ENTITY: Lieux publics, Marseille (FR) MEMBERS / PARTNERS: Atelier 231, Sotteville-lès-Rouen (FR) Chalon dans la rue (FR) Consorzio La Venaria Reale, Venaria Reale (IT) Čtyři dny, Prague (CZ) Detmold festival, Detmold (DE) FAI AR, Marseille (FR) Fundación Municipal de Cultura, Valladolid (ES) Košice 2013 (SK) KIT, Copenhagen (DK) La Paperie, Saint-Barthélémy-d Anjou (FR) La Strada, Graz (AT) Les Tombées de la nuit, Rennes (FR) Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Norwich (GB) ODA Teatri, Pristina (XK) Oerol Festival, Terschelling (NL) Scenekunst Østfold, Fredrikstad (NO) PLACCC Festival, Budapest (HU) Plzen European capital of Culture 2015, Plzen (CZ) Theater op de Markt, Neerpelt (BE) UZ Arts, Glasgow (GB)
Contents In cooperation with and supported by 8th NORDIC BIENNIAL OF C ONTEMP ORAR Y ART MOSS / NOR WAY MOSS KOMMUNE Map of IN SITU Network... inside cover Welcoming Remarks...4 Velkommen...7 Artistic Programme...9 Daily Programme...11 IN SITU...12 Emerging Spaces...13 Lundahl & Seitl - Siting Work in the Cognitive Realm...15 Le G. Bistaki - IN SITU Featured Artist...17 Kitt Johnson - Mellemrum...18 Spitfire Company - A Trilogy in Three Sites...21 Elven & Havet - Maritime Circus...22 Paranoia - Internet as Public Space...23 Thursday 17. September - Galleri F15...25 Friday 18. September - Verket...29 Saturday 19. September - Optional Extras...33 Momentum 8 - Tunnel Vision...34 Cooperating Partners...37 In the framework of IN SITU Platform, this project has received the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. META 2011-2016 has been funded with support from the European Commission (DGEAC Culture programme). This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein. ). Editor: James Moore Design: Erik(sen) 2 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 3
Welcoming remarks It is with enthusiasm and curiosity that I welcome you to the first edition of Scenekunst Østfold s IN SITU Focus. We begin with the very broad stroke of Strategies for Art in the Public Realm. This encompasses several rich and complex themes. We will not come close to exhausting them, but will rather initiate dialogues within the regional context of Østfold that may be continued during the years to come. This also provides an opportunity to introduce the IN SITU network to a broader spectrum of audiences, artists, and cultural operators. We are very fortunate to have the participation of artistic directors from four IN SITU members. With support from the IN SITU Platform they will share their experiences and methods, examining creative processes for producing and presenting art in the public contexts of urban and industrial settings as well as the natural landscape. They 4 IN SITU 2015 will also help us to identify possibilities within our own region. In Moss, as in much of Norway, these radically different environments are found in near proximity. Our featured IN SITU artist is the French collective G. Bistaki, who will present their newest work, The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen, at Verket, the former paper factory that will be host to several Focus productions. We will also discuss future projects of IN SITU artists Kitt Johnson and Lundahl & Seitl. These will be complimented by variety of productions and conversations that explore divergent aspects of sitebased art that addresses itself to public space(s) of differing character. A significant part of this Focus program will be devoted to the question of whether Verket Moss could be home to Norway s first National Center for Creation of Art in Public Space. The requirements and success factors for a residency center of this kind are very different from that of a conventional performing arts venue. Through dialogues, site-visits, and a dynamic combination of artistic occupations we will explore the possibilities in such an enterprise. The artistic programme for this Focus is made possible through cooperation with NonStop International Theatre Festival, Momentum 8 - Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, and Verket Moss. Financial support for these productions is provided by the municipality of Moss, the county of Østfold, Arts Council Norway, EEA Grants, and the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. It is a privilege to select productions from NonStop festival and Momentum 8 that illustrate different approaches to this way of working and I hope you will find the experience rewarding. Enjoy! James Moore Curator/Producer, Scenekunst Østfold Le G. Bistaki Cooperatzia (excerpts) presented by Scenekunst Østfold during European Heritage Awards at Oslo City Hall in June 2015. Photo: James Moore IN SITU 2015 92
Karl van Welden (BE) performance installation Saturn III, presented by Scenekunst Østfold atop Fredriksten Fortress during Fredriksten Musikkfestuke in Halden in June 2015. Photo: Klaus Jäger. Velkommen Det er med entusiasme og forventning at jeg ønsker velkommen til den første utgave av Scenekunst Østfolds IN SITU Fokus. Vi begynner med en rik palett av strategier for kunst i det offentlige rom. Dette omfavner flere komplekse temaer. Vi kommer ikke til å utdebattere disse, men heller etablere dialoger innen den regionale konteksten av Østfold som kan fortsette i årene fremover. Dette gir også anledning til å introdusere nettverket IN SITU til et bredere publikum, kunstnere og kulturfagpersoner. Vi er så heldige at fire kunstneriske ledere fra fire IN SITU-medlemsorganisasjoner deltar. Med støtte fra IN SITU Europeiske Platform vil de formidle erfaringer og metoder, og undersøke kreative prosesser for produksjon og formidling av kunst i offentlige kontekster av byrom og industrilokaler, samt naturlanskapet. Denne deltagelsen vil også hjelpe oss å se muligheter i vår egen region. I Moss, som ofte ellers i Norge, lever radikalt forskjellige miljøer i nær avstand til hverandre. Vår hoved IN SITU-kunstner er det franske ensemble G. Bistaki. De skal vise deres nyeste performanceinstallasjon, The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen, på Verket, den tidligere Peterson papirfabrikk som også er vertskap for flere IN SITU Fokus produksjoner. Vi vil få presentert fremtidige prosjekter av IN SITUkunstnere Kitt Johnson, og Lundahl & Seitl. Disse blir fulgt av et mangfold av produksjoner og samtaler som utforsker vidt forskjellige egenskaper av stedsbasert kunst i offentlige rom av varierende karakter. En vesentlig del av programmet omhandler spørsmålet om hvorvidt Verket Moss kan være hjem til Norges første nasjonale senter for produksjon av kunst i det offentlige rom. Kravene og suksessfaktorene til denne form for residenssenter er veldig annerledes enn et teater eller et kulturhus. Gjennom dialoger, befaringer og en dynamisk sammensetting av kunstneriske okkupasjoner skal vi undersøke mulighetene som ligger i et slikt initiativ. Det kunstneriske IN SITU Fokus-programmet er mulig gjennom et samarbeid med NonStop International Theatre Festival, Momentum 8 - Nordiske biennial for samtidskunst, og Verket Moss. Økonomiske støtte for produksjonene kommer fra Moss kommune, Østfold fylkeskommune, Norsk kulturråd, EEA Grants og Kreativt Europa-programmet av Det europeiske union. Det er et privilegium å velge produksjoner fra NonStop festivalen og Momentum 8 som illustrerer ulike tilnærminger til denne form for kunstneriske arbeid og jeg ønsker dere en rik opplevelse. God fornøyelse! James Moore Kurator/Produsent, Scenekunst Østfold 6 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 7
Photo: James Moore Artistic programme Gallery F15 Spitfire Company (CZ) - Animal Exitus* Verket Le G. Bistaki (FR) - The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen* Spitfire Company (CZ) - One Step Before the Fall* Spitfire Company (CZ) - Sniper s Lake* Batagraf & Extended Ground with Bjørn Tomren* (NO) Katrine Kirsebom (NO), Yvonne Wiche Levinsen (CH) - Site-specific interventions* Momentum Kunsthall Lundahl & Seitl (SE) - Symphony of a Missing Room** Random Places Katrine Kirsebom (NO) - A Sudden Fall* Valia Fetisov (RU), Dzina Zhuk (BY) and Nicolay Spesivtsev (BY) - Paranoia** Akershus kunstsenter moowex (NO/US) - Uncertain Facts and Illogical Constructions * Artists presented in NonStop International Theatre Festival ** Artists presented in Momentum 8 - Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art SPECIAL GUESTS Kees Lesius Artistic Director, Terschellings Oerol festival (NL) Werner Schrempf Artistic Director, La Strada festival (AT) Neil Butler Artistic Director, UZ Arts (UK) Kitt Johnson Artist (DK) Martina Seitl & Christer Lundahl Artists (SE) Terje Pettersen City Planer, Moss kommune (NO) Pierre Sauvegeot Artistic Director, Lieux Publics (FR) Jonatan Habib Engqvist Co-curator, Momentum 8 (SE) For registration visit www.in-situ.no 89 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 9
Daily programme IN SITU Focus participants are encouraged to sign up for Lundahl & Seitl s work, Symphony of a Missing Room, commissioned by Momentum 8. It is for only three people at a time, running throughout the day Thursday and Friday. See NonStop International Theatre Festival program for details. For registration visit www.in-situ.no THURSDAY 17. SEPTEMBER Day 1 - Galleri F15 Morning - Moss Bylab and Gallery F15 Moss Bylab (City Lab): Context, overview of where we are Kees Lesius: Oerol Festival, Sense of Place, Strategies for natural landscapes Lunch Afternoon - Gallery F15 Neil Butler: UZ Arts, Methods, Emerging Spaces, Residencies Kitt Johnson: Mellemrum Lundahl & Seitl: Journey to the Center of the Earth Jonatan Habib Engqvist: Momentum 8 at Gallery F15 Dinner Evening - Gallery F15 and Verket Spitfire Company - Animal Exitus Spitfire Company - One Step Before the Fall FRIDAY 18. SEPTEMBER Day 2 - Verket Morning - House of Foundation Pierre Sauvageot: Lieux Publics, French network of National Creation Centers Werner Schrempf: La Strada, Strategies for urban landscapes, Reininghaus Graz Lunch Afternoon - Verket Tour of Verket with artistic interventions and work in progress presentation Discussion: Verket as Norwegian National Center for Creation of Art in Public Space? Momentum 8 at Momentum kunsthall Dinner Evening - Verket and House of Foundation Le G. Bistaki - The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen Batagraf Batagraf Extended SATURDAY 19. SEPTEMBER Optional extras Morning - House of Foundation Bistaki - Reflections on the Creative Process Early Afternoon - Akershus Kunstsenter moowex - site-specific installation work-inprogress Lunch Late Afternoon - Gallery F15 and Momentum Spitfire Company - Animal Exitus Momentum 8 at Gallery F15 and Momentum kunsthall Evening - Verket Le G. Bistaki - The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen Spitfire Company - Sniper s Lake 10 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 11
IN SITU IN SITU European Network for Artistic Creation in Public Space was selected as one of the first European Platforms to receive the support of the Creative Europe program of the European Union. Established in 2003 and coordinated by Lieux Publics in Marseille, France, the network has 21 members in 14 countries. The membership represents a diverse cross-section of practices and intentions, operating in widely divergent contexts from large cities to small towns, industrial environments to natural landscapes. The primary actions of IN SITU include co-production and circulation of artistic works, hothouses and laboratories to identify emerging artists and develop new ideas, professional seminars, residencies, and communication. www.in-situ.info Emerging Spaces IN SITU is dedicated to identifying emerging artists, ideas for new artistic projects, and fostering the development of both. In order to facilitate these ambitions IN SITU organizes artistic seminars and laboratories, and will focus increasingly on innovative residency models during the coming years. These nurture the entire creative process from germinal idea to adaptive interventions. Emerging Spaces and Writing Side by Side are a series of artistic seminars that bring together artists and artistic programmers. These gatherings recognize the close partnership that is required when producing and presenting site-based artistic works. During these seminars, each artistic programmer presents one artist, who again presents one new idea that is still in its developmental phase. These are then systematically workshoped by all present over the course of several days together in an isolated location. It should be noted that there are no obligations to realize the ideas presented, which contributes to genuinely open investigations. Yet a great many IN SITU productions have grown out of the work done during these seminars. Three examples of this process will be presented, in three different stages of development, as part of the Focus programme. Florent Bergal of G. Bistaki was presented by Daniel Andrieu of L Atalier 231 at the Writing Side by Side seminar in Stirling, Scotland in 2014, where he shared the plans for The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen. Kitt Johnson was presented during the same seminar by Trevor Davies of KIT (Københavns Internationale Teater). A local version of her project Mellemrum has been commissioned by Scenekunst Østfold for Moss during NonStop International Theatre Festival in 2016. Christer Lundahl was invited by James Moore of Scenekunst Østfold, in cooperation with Momentum 8, to present the germinal idea for Journey to the Center of the Earth during the Emerging Spaces seminar earlier this year at La Venaria Reale in Italy. This idea builds upon the work Lundahl & Seitl have been doing with Symphony of a Missing Room, which is available for experiencing during the Focus programme as part of Momentum 8 - Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art. The prospect for a co-production within the network is currently under discussion. During the coming years, IN SITU will move toward a sequence of seminar and laboratory activities, whereby the first stage is the exploration of new ideas, the second stage is intensive project development in small groups, the third stage is a series of residencies, and the final stage is circulation of the produced works. The precise nature of project development will be tailored to the needs of the artists and partners involved. 12 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 13
Consorzio La Venaria Reale, Italian IN SITU member and host of Emerging Spaces artistic seminar in March 2015. Photo: James Moore. Lundahl & Seitl SE - Siting Work in the Cognitive Realm The artist duo Lundahl & Seitl offer an alternative perspective on site-based artistic works. Their per for mances provoke us to examine the nature of our per ceptions by siting the work in the cognitive mechanisms of the spectatorparticipants. This brings about a co-authorship of the work as the partici pants sub conscious project individualized content into their experience of the external site. Symphony of a Missing Room is a guided museum tour where the visitors depart on both a collective and an extremely personal journey. Via wireless headphones, a voice takes visitors, led by performers, on an itinerary that traverses layers of physical and imaginary architecture of the museum and its curatorial space. By the use of multi-sensory illusions and binaural sound recordings the visitor s attention is steered away from the visible and tangible world and diverted into a new perception of the self, time and space. The commission for Momentum 8 is an adaptation of this work. It is a composite artwork reflecting the mus e- um as a phenomenon. Always responding to its current host, this version turns its gaze inwards and looks back at itself. The blind folding goggles deprive direct visual observation and thus prompt visitors to reconsider past events from lived experience, from their body memory, into a personal projection of their present surroundings. In March, Scenekunst Østfold curator/producer James Moore invited Christer Lundahl to the IN SITU Emerging Spaces artistic seminar organized by Consorzio La Venaria Reale in Italy. The loose theme for the seminar was Site-sensitive works for public space. The invitation to Lundahl & Seitl was to develop a new idea that would continue their exploration of cognitive processes by extending the experience into a landscape context. This resulted in the concept for Journey to the Center of the Earth (working title), a collaboration between artists Martina Seitl and Christer Lundahl, a geologist, a future forecasting company, environmental specialist and a neurologist investigating perception of time. There exists a disconnection between human and geological time. Humans have trouble visualizing time inter vals that are larger than their life span. Geological time is unseen, un-perceived and unfelt by humans. This is the experience gap. Lundahl & Seitl will attempt to bring visitors into a state of mind, an experience where they can more easily visualize and physically understand geo logical time. Using their previous methods (such as choreo graphed touch, 3D sound, site-specific recordings, and suggestive instructions), they will experiment with extending these into the landscape. 83 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 15
Photo: Loran Chourrau Le G. Bistaki FR - Featured IN SITU Artist The French collective G. Bistaki is a choreographic and investigative circus whose work adapts itself uniquely to the physical and social features of the space it occupies. Based in Toulouse, France, G. Bistaki emerged by chance rather than design, growing from a need to experiment with alternative methods for creative development and expression. Their initial gatherings were intended as playful relief and free experimentation in between other projects. Yet from this emerged a distinctive style of work combining the plastic and the performative in a charismatic manner of presentation. G. Bistaki s work is formed around the concept of continuous exploitation of a given object by the body in a given space. The environment, whether indoor or outdoor, urban or rural, is their stage. As every meeting is unique, the work consists of modular scenarios whose composition is tailored in response to the site(s). Their scenographic designs are the product of a plastic installation in-situ, depicting a surreal world in a common place. The primary mode of expression grows out of the triangular relationship of body-object-space. The body becomes the motor for research and expression, as the performers integrate strategies of circus, with its quest for the impossible, dance and its virtuosity, and physical theatre for its power of conveying emotions. The use of objects as elements for costumes impacts character development while expressing obscure intentions and influencing behaviour. Video, sound and lighting are also integral elements that further shape and define the work. Cooperatzia (The Trail) was the first artistic intervention presented by Scenekunst Østfold as a member of IN SITU. This was a large-scale occupation of Verket, the decommissioned Peterson paper factory in Moss, and was featured during NonStop International Theatre Festival in September 2014. A selection of excerpts was later presented by Scenekunst Østfold during the European Heritage Awards at Oslo City Hall in June 2015. Since its inception, Cooperatzia has been staged more than a hundred times in 15 countries. G. Bistaki s newest work, The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen is featured in NonStop International Theatre festival, and a central component of Scenekunst Østfold s IN SITU Focus program. This time Bistaki will animate a completely different area of Verket, further demonstrating how both artists and sites can inform and define each other through their encounters. As with Cooperatzia, Bistaki will again lead several days of workshops with local amateurs, integrating them into the performance as living tableaux. www.bistaki.com See page 36 in NonStop program for details 81 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 17
Kitt Johnson DK Mellemrum Scenekunst Østfold has commissioned Kitt Johnson to lead the creation of a Mellemrum Encounter, which will be presented as an IN SITU production during NonStop International Theatre Festival in 2016. The Mellemrum Encounter concept springs from the sitespecific Mellemrum Festival, a biennale that Kitt Johnson arranged and curated four times between 2008 and 2014 in various neighbourhoods of Copenhagen. This is a process whereby Kitt enters into close collaborations with local and international artists, creating local miniature performance festivals consisting of guided urban walks and site-specific performances. Each walk consists of three performances in which the artists give their own interpretation of a personally selected site. The idea of Mellemrum encounter is, among other things, to offer a space and a platform for artistic exchange. Furthermore, the activities are locally rooted and created in close dialogue with the residents of the selected area. The concept is characterised by a high degree of reciprocity and curiosity, both artistically and culturally, and the purpose is not merely to produce art but also to facilitate encounters between artists as well as between artists and residents. The results take the shape of highly unusual urban walks, during which the audience experiences a part of the city or local area from novel angles. The Mellemrum guides lead the audience through hidden and forgotten, known and unknown places. This enables both the audience and local residents a chance to experience their surroundings through a performative lens and possibly to rediscover the extraordinary in the ordinary. No two Mellemrum encounters are the same, as the form and content will be adapted to local needs and conditions. There will always be, however, an introductory research phase, where Kitt will get to know the local area and participate in the selection of local artists. Then Kitt uses various methods laboratories, workshops, masterclasses, etc. to work deep into the site-specific with the selected artists. In the final phase the creation is a cooperation between Kitt and the artists. The Østfold project consists of 4 phases: 1) Sept 2015: site-visits and meeting with local artists 2) Oct 2015: 1 week of research in Moss 3) May 2015: 2-week lab, local and international artists 4) Sept 2016: Presentation of Mellemrum Encounter www.kittjohnson.dk Photo: Per Morten Abrahamsen 18 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 78
Photo: James Moore. Spitfire Company CZ - A Trilogy in Three Sites Spitfire Company is one of the most progressive ensembles in the Czech Republic, creating challenging and innovative physical, visual and dance theatre. Their work is characterized by a search for an original physical language, which is formed in relation to the thematics for each performance. This frequently takes the form of a condition that arises while confronting human s limitations in demanding, existential situations. In 2014 Spitfire Company was selected as one of the Aerowaves Twenty, a prestigious recognition of the most promising emerging choreographers in Europe. Supported by EEA Grants/ Norway Grants, and in cooperation with NonStop International Theatre Festival, Gallery F15, and Verket Moss, we are able to stage three of the company s performances in unique, site-sensitive contexts. The performances form a trilogy that explores human s reactions to traumatic life situations. By using carefully selected locations we seek to underscore the conceptual intentions that lie in each work. This includes both the physical characteristics of the site as well as the relationship between performance and audience. Through this we hope to provide more nuanced insight into the company s challenging, experimental work. Animal Exitus will be staged in the baroque-styled garden of Gallery F15 on the Alby Estate. One Step Before the Fall and Sniper s Lake will both be presented at Verket, though in different buildings of the former paper factory. Together they will offer diverse examples of how artistic works created for the theatre can find new layers of meaning and associations in their encounter with sites that have histories and intentions of their own. www.spitfirecompany.cz 77 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 21
Photo: Rudi Skotheim Jensen Paranoia - Internet as Public Space Valia Fetisov RU, Dzina Zhuk BY and Nicolay Spesivtsev BY Elven & Havet - A Maritime Circus Det lille mekaniske loppe sirkuset is a recently established ensemble under the artistic leadership of director Rudi Skotheim Jensen NO. Elven & Havet (The River and the Sea) will be a family performance employing circus as the primary expression. The ensemble is taking its inspiration from the Norwegian maritime atmosphere, the stories and materials used in life by the water. From this they will embark on creative research into the absurd. They will offer the audience a visual journey into play and fantasy as they somersault into an old and robust culture of fishermen and sails. Elven & Havet is a coproduction with Scenekunst Østfold and Bærum kulturhus, and will be presented at NonStop International Theatre Festival in 2016. A weeklong Scratch laboratory was facilitated by Scenekunst Østfold in June of 2015. Together with aerial acrobat Karoline Aamås NO and scenografer Camilla Wexels Riser NO, Jensen experimented with materials and techniques. They will present a short, site-sensitive adaptation of this work during the tour of Verket on Friday. Jensen comes from Saltnes in Østfold. He is educated as a director at the circus school ESAC in Belgium, and further educated at Norwegian Theatre Academy in Fredrikstad. He has produced and toured his work internationally, including Theatre Works in Singapore, Kwai Tsing Theatre in Hong Kong, Ignite Dance festival in India, along with Dansens Hus in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. Dicsussions of art in the public realm frequently lead to questions about how to dilineate public space. There are questions regarding access and ownership, circumstances whereby the private is (temporarily) made public, and situations where assembly of groups of people in public are forbidden. The rise of the internet, smart phones, social media, and other information technologies introduce different yet related questions about where the boundaries lie between the private and the public. Indeed, we may speculate whether many individuals are the slightest bit aware of these boundaries and their occasional elusiveness. The Momentum 8 project Paranoia touches upon some of these themes in the spirit of a game; albeit one with profoundly serious implications. Commissioned by Momentum 8, Valia Fetisov, in cooperation with Dzina Zhuk and Nicolay Spesivtsev, has developed an application that visitors can download on their mobile phones, allowing them to follow or trace another visitor and in turn being followed themselves by others. The project Paranoia is a social-psychology experiment in the form of mobile application and algorithm of users interaction. The application lets visitors explore feelings of paranoia and the uncertainty whether someone is actually watching their moves or not. The work touches upon conspiracy theories and the recent surveillance and data storing scandals by agencies such as NSA. To take part in the experiment you need to install this application on your mobile phone. Every installed application leaks geolocation data of registered user and sends this information to another user that is chosen by algorithm. Thus all participants know from the very beginning that someone may be pursuing them. www.paranoiapp.net 22 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 23
Thursday 17. September Galleri F15 Thursday 17. September Galleri F15 Moss Bylab - Overview of where we are Strategies for art in natural landscapes Methods: artistic seminars and residencies Momentum 8 - Gallery F15 Lundahl & Seitl - Symphony of a Missing Room, Momentum kunsthall Spitfire Company - Animal Exitus, Gallery F15/Alby Gård Spitfire Company - One Step Before the Fall, Verket We will begin our Focus porgram by taking a birds-eye orientation of contemporary Moss by visiting the city s own planning laboratory. Then we will move to Alby Gård where Kees Lesius and Neil Butler will share insights into their practices, including strategies for natural landscapes and IN SITU s creative development activities. Kitt Johnson, Christer Lundahl and Martina Seitl will share how they are working with future projects. Jonatan Habib Engqvist will introduce Momentum 8 and explain the intentions behind Tunnel Vision. The evening s NonStop program offers two unique meetings with the Czech Spitfire Company, first at Gallery F15 and then at Verket. IN SITU Focus participants are encouraged to sign up for Lundahl & Seitl s work, Symphony of a Missing Room, commissioned by Momentum 8. Vi begynner fokus-programmet ved å få et fugl perspektiv over samtidens Moss ved besøk hos byens egen laboratorium. Deretter flytter vi til Alby gård hvor Kees Lesius og Neil Butler vil gi innsikt i deres praksis. Dette inkluderer strategier for naturlandskap og IN SITU nettverkets kreative utviklingsaktiviteter. Kitt Johnson, Christer Lundahl og Martina Seitl vil formidle om deres fremtidige prosjekter. Jonatan Habib Engqvist skal introdusere Momentum 8 og formidle om intensjonene bak Tunnel Vision. Kveldens NonStop-programmet tilbyr to unike møter med det tjekkiske Spitfire Company, først på Galleri F15 og deretter på Verket. 73 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 25
Kees Lesius NL Artistic Director, Terschellings Oerol Festival After graduating from the Academy of Visual Arts, Kees Lesius (born in Rotterdam in 1957) interest in working in the public space leads him to initiate several arts manifestations and a multidisciplinary arts festival (Hof van Spektakel). Kees is now Artistic Director of the Terschellings Oerol Festival. Terschellings Oerol Festival is an annual site-specific theatre festival held on the Dutch island Terschelling in mid-june. Site-specific theatre, theatre in barns, sheds and on the streets, modern dance, opera, visual art, music and the various crossovers are the ingredients of a festival that uses the whole island as its stage. Over the past 30 years, the festival has grown from a small-scale street festival into an internationally valued, multi-disciplinary festival. The development of new work focuses principally on theatre-makers and artists, both from the Netherlands and abroad: residencies for writing and creating new performances, co- productions and a workshop on site-specific theatre for young artists. www.oerol.nl Neil Butler UK Artistic Director, UZ Arts Neil Butler is an artist and producer. He founded Brighton s Zap Club and moved to Scotland to develop UZ Events as an organisation to deliver largescale festivals and events including Glasgow s Millennium Celebrations, Big in Falkirk -Scotland s National Street Arts Festival and Glasgow s Merchant City Festival. Neil has devised and presented cultural programmes for the Scottish Government in Europe, USA and Canada. In 2010 Neil established UZ Arts as an international charity to support artists in creating cross border, cross art-form art in public space. In addition, he is the Director of the Sura Madura international artist residency centre in Sri Lanka and is Co-Director of Colombo Art Biennale. Neil continues to work as an artist performing, directing and creating installations. UZ Arts was established in 2011 as a charity to support every aspect of the creation and distribution of art. It builds upon the legacy of UZ Events established in 1994 to create large-scale festivals and events for Scotland. UZ Arts supports artists who wish to work across borders and artforms, and outside conventional venues through residencies, commissioning, presenting and sometimes touring their work. It commissions through the support of Creative Scotland and as UK representative of the European network IN SITU. The company creates innovative cultural platforms that support partnerships between the public and private sector, the artistic and wider communities. In 2015 UZ Arts launched a new festival platform Moving Out that will present programmes of work by IN SITU artists in Scotland and Sri Lanka, where it manages the international artist residency programme at the Sura Medura Centre. www.uzarts.com Kitt Johnson DK Artist Dancer and choreographer Kitt Johnson is one of a kind on the Danish dance and performance scene. For more than twenty-five years she has been developing her own, very particular, artistic universe; a universe that is at once minimalist, expressive and innovative. Her work is characterized by an extreme body control and a unique feel for simple but effective stage effects, and she uses these effects to create intense, physical and visual transformations that explore the deepest layers of human existence. Johnson was recently recognized with a Danish Reumert award as Dancer of the Year for her new solo Post No Bills. Kitt Johnson s trademark is solo performance, but her repertoire is broad and also includes many ensemble works, New Circus, site-specific work and a production designed for children. She also organises and curates performance festivals, including the sitespecific MELLEMRUM biennale, contributing to her ambition to create a platform from which Danish and international performing arts can engage in dialogue and share experience. www.kittjohnson.dk Lundahl & Seitl SE Artist duo Christer Lundahl (then a visual artist) formed Lundahl & Seitl in 2003 with Martina Seitl (then a choreographer). Their partnership is a transdisciplinary collaboration that investigates the audience s perception as the central focus of an artwork. Lundahl & Seitl s projects epitomize a recent trend in artistic exploration that breaks down the perceived barriers between doing and observing, conceiving innovative events that play upon the consciousness and perceptions of the audience. Each project is specific to a particular place and situation, investigating history, time, space and human perception. Lundahl & Seitl aim to integrate the disciplines of science, performance and visual arts by creating situations for joint enquiry. In 2009 the duo were recipients of the Stockholm Art Prize for their work, Symphony of a Missing Room, exhibited at the National Museum of Sweden and commissioned by Weld. They were awarded the Birgit Cullberg Stipend in 2010 as well as the Montblanc Young Directors Award and Edstrandska Stipend for Contemporary Art both in 2011. Their works have been presented in a variety of arenas, including Bern Biennial, Royal Academy of Arts in London, S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Avignon Festival, Hamburger Kunsthalle (commissioned by Kampnagel), and the Steinway Piano Showroom in London. www.lundahl-seitl.com Jonatan Habib Engqvist SE Co-curator, Momentum 8 Jonatan Habib Engqvist is a curator and theorist with a background in Philosophy and Aesthetic theory. Between 2009 and 2014 he was project manager for visual art at Iaspis (the Swedish Arts Grants Committee s International exchange and residency programme) where he organised numerous public programmes, publications, curatorial visits and facilitated over 200 artists in residence in Sweden and abroad. He has also lectured extensively and curated exhibitions on a freelance basis. He was curator of (I)ndependent People, the visual art focus of Reykjavík Arts Festival 2012, has previously been employed as curator at Moderna Museet and worked at The Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Books include: Studio Talks: Thinking through painting (with Bength, Rydén, Sandström, Arvinius+Orfeus, 2014) In Dependence Collaboration and Artists initiatives (Torpedo Press, 2013). Engqvist is currently developing a small-scale curatorial residency in Stockholm and teaching at The Royal Institute of Fine Art, The Academy of Fine Art in Helsinki, Stockholm University and the School of Dance and Circus, DOCH. 26 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 27
Friday 18. September Verket Friday 18. September Verket Strategies for art in urban and industrial landscapes National centers for creation of art in public space Tour of Verket: Norway s first national center of its kind? Momentum 8 Momentum kunsthall Lundahl & Seitl - Symphony of a Missing Room, Momentum kunsthall Le G. Bistaki - The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen, Verket Batagraf - Batagraf Extended, Verket We begin the morning with Pierre Sauvageot and Werner Schrempf who will share insights into their practices, including strategies for urban environments. They will also present models for creative residency centers a well-established national network in France and a new initiative in Austria. The afternoon will focus on Verket, going deeper into questions about how this extraordinary complex might incorporate innovative artistic practices into is future development plans. An extensive tour will include artistic interventions. The evening s NonStop program features G. Bistaki s newest work, followed by Batagraf Extended, a unique percussion ensemble that will play the factory s largest hall as an instrument. IN SITU Focus participants are encouraged to sign up for Lundahl & Seitl s work commissioned by Momentum 8. Vi begynner formiddagen med Pierre Sauvageot og Werner Schrempf som vil formidle om deres metoder som inkluderer strategier for byrom. De presenterer også modeller for kreative residenssentre, både en veletablert nasjonalt nettverk i Frankrike samt et nytt initiativ i Østerrike. Ettermiddagen setter fokus på Verket og ser nærmere på hvordan området kan integrere innovative kunstneriske virksomheter i utviklingsplanene. En omfattende befaring inkluderer kunstneriske intervensjoner. Kveldens NonStop-programmet viser G. Bistaki sin nyeste produksjon, etterfulgt av Batagraf Extended, en unik perkusjon ensemblet som spiller fabrikkens største hall som en instrument. 69 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 29
Pierre Sauvageot FR Artistic Director, Lieux Publics Read Le Monde in his cradle, grew up du- ring the Algerian War, discovered politics and music at the same time as everyone else, horsed around in the corridors of the Sorbonne, swapped pamphlets for brass, plunged into the world of sound, handled noise-making machines, harmonised mopeds, chimed audiences, became director and invent original artistic acts open to everybody for the public space. Lieux Publics is a production centre under the direction of an artist: Pierre Sauvageot, composer and inventor of artistic objects for public space. Lieux publics coordinates the IN SITU European network and its META 2011-2016 - a tailormade accompaniment to artistic creation in public space - and Platform 2014-2017 projects in collaboration with 18 partners hailing from 13 European countries. Lieux publics is Remueméninges where the troupes write their new projects; the scenography workshop and sound creation studio; accompaniment for artists from every discipline who make the city the place, object and subject of their works. Lieux Publics is Sirènes et Midi net on the first Wednesday of every month: works commissioned from artists; transient participatory interventions; development of new relations with the audiences in Marseille and throughout the region. Lieux publics is a participation in the Carnets de rue collection from L Entretemps; an annual magazine with the French review Les Inrockuptibles (in collaboration with the members of the IN SITU network); a means of prospecting new relationships between art and the city. Strongly committed to the European framework and constantly renewing its view of public space as a creation site, Lieux publics curated Champ harmonique and Métamorphoses in 2013, which transformed Marseilles into a wide playground open to artists and in- habitants alike throughout three main sites in the city centre, with Marseille-Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture. It hosted about 120 000 spectators. In 2014, Lieux Publics organised 10 European performances-walks during the Travellings festival in Marseille, and, with the participation of over 200 volunteers, transformed the city in a gigantic domino course made out of 8000 concrete blocks. www.lieuxpublics.com Werner Schrempf AT Artistic Director, La Strada festival Werner Schrempf founded the company die ORGANISATION and has acted in the capacity of creative head and managing director. Its core competence is in the conception and implementation of cultural event and exhibition design from planning and budgeting to communication and overall production management. In 1998 Schrempf designed and developed the international festival La Strada in Graz. Street art, puppet theatre, cirque nouveau and community art form today s programme content. Since 2008, Werner and his team also organizes the winter festival Cirque Noël, staging and coproducing contemporary and unconventional cirque nouveau projects. He is also a founding member and coorganiser of the international network IN SITU. Since 2012, Werner Schrempf is a member of the Advisory Board in the Cultural Department of the province of Styria. The Festival La Strada takes place at the beginning of August for a period of nine days since 1998 and has 140,000 spectators annually. It is the only festival in Austria that collaborates with artists of international renown who seek new forms of expression outside established theatre. During La Strada, questions of co-existence and cooperation, of migration and integration, are all handled with great intensity and intellectual rigour on the performance level. Here it is not about clear artistic statements but rather the illustration of the longsince complete permeation and interweaving of cultures and cultural expression in Europe. The festival helps innovative productions and Austrian artists to develope their projects on the pan- European festival scene. www.lastrada.at Katrine Kirsebom NO Artist Katrine Kirsebom has worked as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher since she completed her education at School for New Dance Development in Amsterdam. She has created a range of works during the past twenty years as independent artists. Katrine has been artistic director for CODA Impro, as part of the CODA Oslo International Dance Festival, presenting improvised dance of a high level. She is the stage arts consultant for The Cultural Rucksack arts-in-schools program for the county of Akershus, and is currently in the advanced studies program for Stage Arts in Public Space at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Yvonne Wiche Levinsen CH Artist Wiche Levinsen creates physical theatre that focuses on a visual aesthetic with a precise, stylized, physical language. The dramatic characteristics are found in the body s interaction with scenic objects. Stories unfold in the border between theatre and dance, where scenic elements come to life in the meeting with the performer. This contributes to abstract situations with their own logic, tragicomedy, and challenges. Wiche Levinsen is currently in the advanced studies program for Stage Arts in Public Space at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. 30 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 31
Saturday 19. September Optional Extras Saturday 19. September Optional Extras Reflections on the creative process with G. Bistaki moowex - Uncertain Facts and Illogical Constructions Akershus kunstsenter Spitfire Company - Animal Exitus, Gallery F15/Alby Gård Momentum 8 - Gallery F15 and Momentum kunsthall Le G. Bistaki - The Baïna Trampa Fritz Fallen, Verket KHiO - Site-specific interventions, Verket Spitfire Company - Sniper s Lake, Gallery Verket Dagen Derpå with G. Bistaki Dagen Derpå is a Norwegian expression that roughly translates to The Morning After. This is a concept appropriated from Lofoten International Theatre Festival whereby an artist that performed the night before is the featured guest for an open conversation. G. Bistaki will discuss their creative process, their latest work, and their experiences with creative residencies at many of France s national centers. As this is the second time that G. Bistaki is adapting their work at Verket, they will share their reflections about how Verket might be able to function as a residency center for art in public space. moowex - Uncertain Facts and Illogical Constructions moowex is an artist duo formed by Camilla Wexels Riser and James Moore. They create immersive installations that are unique to the site they occupy, which becomes the source of a process-based work. Akershus kunstsenter has invited moowex to create an installation in several rooms in the cellar, which is normally closed to the public. Originally built as a residence for teachers, the building also served as police station before becoming an art center. For this installation moowex are collaborating with sound artist Morten Pettersen. IN SITU Focus guests are invited to a work-in-progress presentation of the installation which will be open to the public 25. September to 25. October 2015. www.akershuskunstsenter.no Photo: James Moore 65 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 33
Momentum 8 Tunnel Vision Since its inception in 1998, Momentum has strived to present compelling works of art and outstanding artistic ventures in a Norwegian and Nordic context. The biennial has since become established as one of the most exciting platforms for contemporary art in the Nordic region. Tunnel Vision The 8th Momentum Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art explores tunnel vision as a cultural and artistic condition. Today s networked culture not only generates hyper-connectivity, but it also produces a range of disconnects that allow people and communities to thrive in their own bubbles. Momentum 8 focuses on artists and cultural producers who inhabit worlds of their own logic and follow through on the ideas that emerge within these contexts. Venues: Momentum Kunsthall, Møllebyen in Moss Galleri F 15 at Alby Gård, Jeløy, Moss Opening hours: Tuesday Sunday 11-17 Punkt Ø is the county gallery of Østfold and runs Galleri F 15 and Momentum Nordic Biennial for Contemporary Art www.momentum.no www.punkto.no 34 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 62
Photo: Guillaume Bautista Cooperating Partners Scenekunst Østfold Scenekunst Østfold, the Norwegian member of IN SITU, is a regional performing arts institution in the southeast of Norway. Under the artistic direction of Kjell Moberg, it produces, co-produces and presents a broad spectrum of artistic expressions, from text-based theatre to contemporary dance and circus, a music series of jazz and classical music, and an increasing focus on art in the public realm. Based in the town of Fredrikstad, the residency and presenting activities are spread throughout the entire region, actively partnering with a variety of local institutions and exploring innovative models for cooperation. NonStop International Theatre Festival NonStop International Theatre Festival has established itself as one of the regions most exciting arenas for theatre, dance and circus. An intense program of performances, seminars and workshops provide dynamic opportunities for audiences to find inspiration and be challenged. The festival presents traditional styles of theatre together with visual and physical forms of expression, increasing the understanding for how alternative styles can appeal to broad audiences. In 2014 the festival established an extensive partnership with Scenekunst Østfold in order to expand and internationalize the program. Verket Moss Verket has a rich and varied history as one of Moss cornerstone companies for more than three centuries. First established in 1704 as a timber mill, it was to operate primarily as iron works until 1875. Then it was transformed into M. Peterson & Søn, initially producing sulfate cellulose, and paper from 1896 until bankruptcy in 2012. Höegh Eiendom now owns Verket s entire area of 268.000m 2, with 1.5km of coastline along Oslofjord, leading one of Norway s largest urban development projects. Verket Arena and Verket Scene are two current initiatives that facilitate a broad spectrum of cultural activities. Punkt Ø - Gallery F15 One of Norway s oldest art institutions presenting contemporary art, Gallery F15 was established in 1966. The name derives from the address 15 Fossen, the gallery s first locale. A year later the roof blew off the old mill building and the gallery moved to Alby Estate, the oldest farm on the peninsula of Jeløy with roots dating back to the early Viking era. In recent years, Gallery F15 has developed a profile of exhibitions that emphasize Norwegian, Nordic and International contemporary art, but that also includes contributions of works of more traditional visual arts. 61 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 37
Le G. Bistaki Cooperatzia (The Trail) at Verket in September 2014. Photo: Espen Schei 59 IN SITU 2015 IN SITU 2015 58
16 20 SEPTEMBER 2015 MOSS NONSTOP INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2015
MOSS VERKET 6 7 MOMENTUM 5 4 J H HENRICH GERNERS GA TE OSLOVEIEN E6 1 GALLERI F15 2 SAMFUNNSHUSET 3 PARKTEATRET 4 MOMENTUM KUNSTHALL 5 HOUSE OF FOUNDATION 6 VERKET 7 VERKET SCENE 1 N GALLERI F15 CA. 10 MIN KJØRING A R19 STORGATA TOG C E D 2 3 F KIRKEGATA R118 STORGATA G I DRONNING ENS GATE K L R19 KONGENS GATE R119 E6 R19 FLYBUSS M A PEPPES PIZZA B MOSSESIA KRO & HOTELL C MITT HOTELL D MING E TAXI F MOSS HOTELL G CAFÉ HALINA H CAFÉ BRANDSTRUP I LA GONDOLA J CAFÉ RIIS K FARBROR MELKERS L DIVINUM M MOSS HOSTEL N HUSMANN FERGE B