DIGITAL TALK: Performing Art and Ecosystemic Cooperation ✨
October 9, 2024, 17:00 – 18:30h
Join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83442982230?pwd=Z3dg8tR0sloB4fA3CgTc4PZwBwIbtJ.1
Meeting ID: 834 4298 2230, Passcode: 356633
Artistic practices function simultaneously on a symbolic and material level because they can engage spectators in direct and indirect ways. This dual operation raises critical questions about the role of art in shaping alternative imaginaries that can promote egalitarian, cooperative, and non-competitive values. Such reflections align with broader ecological concerns, where understanding the interdependence of all living beings within their environments is essential for the preservation of ecosystems. Drawing on Lynn Margulis’ theory of endosymbiosis, we recognize that the survival of species often depends on their ability to cooperate, highlighting the profound relationality between all organisms. This relational perspective is echoed in Félix Guattari’s emphasis on the cognitive, social, and environmental dimensions of existence, suggesting that the quality of these interconnections determines the sustainability of life. In the context of the current ecological crisis and the ongoing eco-social transition, there is an urgent need to cultivate new cultural imaginaries. These imaginaries must expand the ethical framework to include the rights of all living and non-living entities, allowing for a more holistic and inclusive approach to decision-making processes that will guide our collective future.
TALK 1: NINE LAGOONS
Nine Lagoons is a multidisciplinary project centered on the figure of the gaucho leader Santos Guayama (San Juan, Argentina, 1830-1879?) and the Guanacache Lagoons, which are now dry. The project seeks to revive the image of this popular figure from the western Argentine Cordillera as the leader of the first uprising for water rights in the country, known as the “Lagunera Rebellion.” Additionally, it emphasizes his mythological nature, where he is referred to as “the man who died nine times.” Compositionally, the number nine plays a significant role in organizing the materials. Four distinct projects have been developed so far around these themes: Nine Lagoons (dry theater, 2019), Nine Lagoons: In the Footsteps (audiovisual documentary, 2021), Nine Lagoons: Lagunera Diary (miscellaneous book, 2022), and Nine Lagoons: Invocation (performative installation, 2023).
The project originated during the Ikarus creation residency at Odin Teatret (Denmark) in 2017, developed further at the “No Tchon, No Arte” formation and exchange residency (Guinea-Bissau, 2018), and in San Juan, Argentina. In addition to being featured at various festivals and presented in alternative contexts (rural schools, prisons, neighborhood associations, etc.), the projects have received support from Argentina’s National Theater Institute.
Benjamín Slavutzky
An experimental artist working across theater, contemporary dance, audiovisual media, literature, performance, installation, and sound art, Benjamín Slavutzky seeks to break down barriers between disciplines. With a degree in Literature from UNSJ (Argentina), he has participated in performing arts research teams (DICDRA Project) and held both research and artistic creation fellowships. Currently based in Madrid, he performs with the Wet Floor company, collaborates with the contemporary dance company Inervo, and directs the experimental theater company Mutable XT. He also organizes interdisciplinary free improvisation spaces and develops educational and creative projects across various regions of Spain.
https://benjaminslavutzky.wixsite.com/benjaslav
TALK 2: INTER RELATIO
Thematically, the project focuses on the idea of the ecosystem and the forces of interdependence, two basic concepts in ecofeminism theory that help us to understand the interdependence and holistic connections between living beings and nature and to re-direct our social organization towards sustainability. This initiative explores the concept of interdependence between living beings and nature, emphasizes sustainable practices in the artistic process, and encourages the pursuit of new ways to relate to the natural world. Thematically, it revolves around the idea of the ecosystem and the forces of interdependence, two basic concepts in ecofeminism theory that help us to understand the interdependence and holistic connections between living beings and nature and to re-direct our social organization towards sustainability.
Ángeles Císcar
Ángeles Císcar is a visual artist specializing in image dramaturgy. Her artistic practice spans the performing arts, performance, and video installation. Currently, her readings, studies, and creative research focus on environmental awareness and equality. She is particularly interested in exploring life as a network of interdependence between living beings and nature, using this approach as the central theme in her work. For her, artistic practice is a form of philosophical reflection.
Císcar believes that what we call “reality” is a precarious sum of fragments selected by the conditioning produced by the social and cultural context in which we are immersed. She sees awareness of this as fundamental for coexistence. Her pieces, usually visually rich, appeal to the sensory-emotional perception of the audience, offering experiences in which ideas are conveyed through visual delight.
Her work has been showcased at venues such as Mercat de les Flors, Teatre Lliure, the Cultural Center of Spain in Mexico, the Digital Culture Center, the Chopo University Museum in Mexico City, Carme Teatro in Valencia, and Üferstudios in Berlin, among others. She has been an artist-in-residence at Hangar (Center for Visual Arts Production and Research in Barcelona), the National Center for the Arts in Mexico City, and the Institute of Art Espronceda in Barcelona, among others. As an educator, she has led numerous workshops and taught regular courses at the University of the Cloister of Sor Juana and the National School of Fine Arts in Mexico City.
TALK 3: BIOTIC SYMPHONY: CREATIVE INTERSPECIES ECOSYSTEMS
It is a container project whose artistic and pedagogical research framework is interspecies relaxation, combining technology, nature, and art to create sound installations in which plants and fungi participate through Simbiower technology. This technology contributes to the sound design, visual mapping of the piece, and interactive performances that merge various natural and non-natural ecosystems in collaboration with each other. Part of their new research focuses on the relationship between urban and plant ecosystems, seeking green transit areas in cities where they can build installations. These installations allow local and visiting artists to meet and generate creative collaborations in public spaces, merging technology and nature within the urban context.
Carlotta Storelli
An interdisciplinary artist of Swiss origin who operates in an international context, including Central Europe, Switzerland, Morocco, Scandinavia, and the United States. She is the founder of the company Inervo, serving as choreographer, dancer, actress, and educator within the same company. She has directed and co-created festivals such as ImprpvisAntequera and Inervo Lab at NAVEL Art, Studio 3, among other spaces. She has also worked as a cultural manager and communication director for various artistic and cultural companies and associations, including the contemporary dance company Eyas, BIOMIMA, and Bionic Festival at Teatros del Canal, as well as the Viaturas company in Portugal, among others. She is an artist and project manager at Molinolab: Art Science & Technology. Her research and artistic and pedagogical approaches are related to the development of new interdisciplinary artistic languages and the relationship between humans and the environment. She also collaborates with scientific research centers and various scientists and biologists to create hybrid work that merges art and science.
https://inervoartlab.my.canva.site/
This digital talk is under the Creative Europe Project, co-financed by the European Union.
THEATER IN PALM https://theatreinpalm.eu/ – A European platform, which brings together 12 partners from all over Europe to collaborate in the promotion and support of emerging artists in the field of performing arts. This platform, of which Espronceda is the main partner, aims to be an open and intercultural space for the performing arts that allows the circulation of artists and the promotion of innovative projects beyond European borders.
