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Description
The participatory art event and exhibition Art Activism: Take Part, Take Care will be about politics in our everyday life, about skills and knowledge on how to raise a sustainable society and be a responsible part of it. The PARTICIPATORY ART EXHIBITION & INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCE will be an interactive exhibition and performance events created by contemporary art, dance and theatre professionals with the participation of theatre company Teater K:13 from Bergen, Norway. The exhibition will be based on a study of the cultural activities of the Latvian People''s University, trade unions and workers’ clubs in Riga, the semi-professional Riga Workers'' Theatre at the beginning of the last century. This historical material will serve as an example of good practice how less privileged groups of society gain their own stage by uniting and self-organizing. The exhibition will offer a history lesson and creative participation to learn about an involvement in politics and art activism. The exhibition will consist of contemporary art installations by professional artists and will be integrated in the public area of the Trade Union House. There will be historical materials and artefacts about Riga Workers’ theatre integrated in the installations. The main task of the exhibition is to ask questions about participation and its forms today. Attendants will be provoked to create futuristic visions of their own lives. There will take place an interactive performance created by theatre directors of theatre K:13 from Bergen, Norway. Attendants will be involved in the process of interactive theatre to provoke expression of political attitudes and after unveiling the theatrical situation to discuss it. The program of the exhibition will include a seminar and workshop for drama teachers on interactive theatre methods in working with adolescents, free dance classes held by pedagogues of I-DEJAS MAJA as well public lectures.
Summary of project results
The idea of the project was based on a study of the cultural activities during the interwar period in Latvia:The People''s University,The People''s House,Trade unions and Workers’ clubs in Riga,the semi-professional Riga Workers'' Theatre.This historical material served as an example of good practice in how less privileged groups of society gain their stage by uniting and self-organizing.The project activities offered history lessons and creative participation to learn about art activism,and were implemented to create the participatory art event Līdzinieki in the building of the Trade Union House based on the general idea of art activism:to take part, be responsible and take care of democratic values.The main cultural product was the interactive performance that was performed 10 times reaching the audience of the planned target groups 678 persons and 99 persons were directly involved in the creative process.Along with the main product,workshops for young professionals and drama teachers were organized,and the youngsters in focus group activities were involved as well.These activities were important to speak about art activism as a possibility of self-expression,developing a sense of social responsibility,and as a vehicle for strengthening democracy.The main results of the project were the professionally shaped immersive art event,combining interactive theatre methods,contemporary dance,and escape game elements,which was an innovation in the Latvian theatre scene;involvement of young Latvian professionals of art,theatre and dance in the creative team along with the project partners from Norway theatre company K:13 Scenekunst,which provided the possibility to learn interactive theatre methods from project partners;making information about interactive theatre methods through the opportunity to participate in creative workshops.Working together Latvian and Norwegian professionals got to know each other’s backgrounds and approaches,values,and hopes to reduce differences and strengthen social and economic ties in the EEA.As for the importance of the project, long-term impact is expected on the development of interactive forms of theatre in Latvia, and awareness of political processes reflected in art by young professional artists and young audiences.Project was about politics in our everyday life, about skills and knowledge on how to raise a sustainable society and be a responsible part of it.
Summary of bilateral results
The bilateral partnership contributed to the project’s results by providing experience and professional know-how to develop a co-created art event with elements of interactivity. The shared results of the creative process were achieved successfully, the collaboration led to improved knowledge and understanding of how to implement interactivity in the participatory theatre production, and the partnership led to the exchange of experience in building democratic relationships among creative team members that will be continued with a wider effect of deepened understanding of the connection between politics and art. Project partners developed plans to continue the bilateral collaboration and already applied for the next cooperation project Freedom of Speech - an interactive performance for youth in the frame of The Nordic Culture Point: 1/23 Culture and Art Programme, Application: 30097.