It’s been twenty two years since the Berlin Wall crumbled to the ground, yet we’re moving the pieces further west and laying them down along the English Channel. Instead of looking out, we’re becoming insular, introducing imaginary borders, immigration caps, false illusions of independence and cultural supremacy. An ideology that dismisses the global for the local, recontextualizes a false issue of immigration and breathes a sigh of relief at the thought that we might just make it by ourselves. If there’s anything that the past thirty years have taught us, it’s that transnationalism and intercultural dialogue have no currency in the global market. Apparently. At a time of uncertainty, we seem reluctant to share meaning, and collaborate in understanding the language of our times.
It’s a cold January morning in Whitechapel; I’m sat around a table with nineteen other critics, curators and producers from across Europe, sweeping from East to West. In a three day conference facilitated by SPACE, an umbrella organization supporting the circulation of performing arts in Europe, and TEAM Network (Transdisciplinary European Art Magazines Network), we are here to discuss the current landscape of international performance in Europe. How does performance circulate, how can it innovate in its travels, and what sustainable forms can this journey take? We come to few conclusions, but the urgency of this dialogue prevails throughout our heated conversations.
It seems the geographical space that separates us is swallowed by the proximity of our agendas. What emanates from every corner of the room is the importance of mobile, shifting cultural contexts that remove borders and invite us to share meaning. We tend to think of language as a barrier; in fact, even the wordiest performance communicates on many levels. In our daily lives, distance only remains a local concept; in performance, this disappears, becomes both tangible and insignificant. This produces hybrids, removes borders and articulates hidden sensibilities and constructive problematics.
The most disappointing aspect of the three day session is also the most embarrassing. My colleagues are almost as literate about our local performance culture as I am, but I know little of theirs. We speak of the immersive, the intimate, the live, the challenging, and learn that this manifests itself in a myriad of ways across the European map; that the UK seems to prefer cultural exports than imports, relying on its multicultural vest to provide diversity and variety. Of course, this is an illusion, particularly in egocentric London, where we rely on an artist’s heritage or origin to convey a flavour of a place that to us is removed and exotic. There are other European countries far more interested in challenging their local climate than we are, and with a strong tradition to do so, from Germany to Latvia, from The Netherlands to Portugal. This means that continental European performance is not only innovating, but it’s fast-paced and dynamic, hungry for the other.
We have a web of cultural networks and a myriad of resources waiting to be used. The UK is hungry for this European dialogue. Look at the popularity of The London International Mime Festival, London International Theatre Festival or Fierce Festival in Birmingham. BAC’s European partnership, which is based on exchange, is a step forward. It is based on collaboration and shared meaning, not just on transactions. Festivals are a unique form to breach this cultural and geographic distance, yet they have a restricted audience. Institutions and organizations have the cultural capital to bring and extend this dialogue to local audiences and influence the local performance environment. Such is the case with BAC’s One on One, or Barbican’s BITE programme. It is within these institutions that aim to be homes for artists, centre for collaboration, where innovation and dialogue can begin.
Institutions can foster dialogue by placing artists in relation to each other. Such a potent example is BAC’s One on One Festival, programming works under headings such as Immersive and Challenging. Belgian company Ontroerend’s Internal is placed alongside Lundahl& Seitl’s Rotating in a Room Full of Images; both are engaging discussion of self, perception and frames of reference, creating a dialogue across borders to mark out a crucial performance concern with representation and the space of engagement for artists and audiences. Likewise, the London International Mime Festival has consistently imported visual theatre that speaks across linguistic barriers to hone down new perceptions of cultures and mark out shifts in this particular performance ecology. It’s here where London first saw Raimund Hoghe, Romeo Castelluci or Zimmerman& De Perrott, all artists who have had a significant impact on British theatre ecology.
Cultural context and shared meaning are crucial tools to break through the uncertainty of the current socio-political landscape. It is the unique form of the nation-state and its cultural production that must travel, change and showcase a constant alternative to the local culture. Curators can be more literate about the work they programme by charting conceptual and thematic landscapes that link international works. Without financial and curatorial assistance, this is not likely to happen. We need to build on and learn from our mistakes, not make them again. Perhaps with perseverance and conversations, we can carry those old bricks out of the way.
Tagged: BAC, International, One on One