VA 13: VENICE AGENDAS : BODY POLITIC  

Friday 11 October

Dance Pavilion, Bournemouth.

There was a Performance by Gary Stevens followed by the Q&A discussion.

The morning session with a discussion based on the format of the poplar TV show Question Time, members of the public will be invited to ask questions from the beginning as the panel will answer in turn a range of prepared and unprepared questions. If you have a question you'd like to ask about live and performance art, please email mark@theartistsagency.co.uk

Performance art has been seen as something outside the mainstream largely because it did not engage with the commercial sector or really with museums. It was simple something that happened often in artists organised events or as part of festivals. But there has been a sea change and now museums see 'events' as a key way to attract audiences. Dance as been shown in Museums, like Anna Teresa Keersmaker at the Tate and MOMA and now there are curators appointed with museums who have direct responsibilities to curate performances and live art. As usual there are agendas running through

This event follows on from Venice Agendas 2013 that devoted a morning panel discussion on live art and performance called Are you Here, Were you there with a distinguished list of panellist. This discussion brings some of those international speakers to Bournemouth to continue the debate with artists, writers and curators.

The panellist included 

Marta Jovanovic a Serbian artist living in New York

Kathy Battista, author and curator. Lives and works in NY.

Marcia Farquhar, Performance artist based in London

Gary Stevens, performance artist and video maker.

Kate Mahony, performance artist and organiser of LUPA

Terry Smith, artist co-director workinprogress

Chaired by Jean Wainwright, writer and curator

·       BODY POLITIC – The Art of Performance at Arts Festival Bournemouth - Friday 11th October 2013

We were invited by Arts Bournemouth (Venice Agendas partner) to curate a programme of activities for a one-day event as part of the outcome debates from Venice Agendas.  The aim was to bring back and continue the discussions from Venice, and to introduce it to a new audience in Bournemouth.  The day’s events were organized into three distinct components and took the audience from day to night through discussions and intermittent performances.  Issues that were discussed included risk, documentation and re enactment. The intention was not just to mimic the debate in Venice but to take it forward, dig a little deeper and introduce new elements. Practical elements were considered through workshops followed by an immersive experience through a programme of experimental performances, re-enactments and performance films.  We invited artists and curators to perform and be involved in the workshops, including Kate Mahony, curator of LUPA, an independent performance venue, who attended the Venice Agendas discussions.  Other participants included artists Gary Stevens who performed NOT TONY, Marcia Farquar Acts of Clothing, Tim Russell Thanks, and Jean Wainwright, Kathy Battista and Terry Smith with a workshop orchestrated by New York performance artist Marta Jovanovic. Please refer to press release.