ACROSS OCEANS ARTS: PROJECTS
atHome project and festivals
exploring the art of collaboration
Where do we meet?
How do we work?
What do we create?
the AtHome Project 2000-2003
The AtHOME festival project ran from 2000 – 2003. Over 200 artists and the general public interacted through open studios, exhibitions, performances, screenings, symposia, discussions and forums to consider what the word “collaboration” actually means for art-making and people making art.
Our main Question? How does work actually get done across disciplines, generations, cultures and, ultimately, between people?
Participants represented arts creation in Canada, USA, Finland, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Greece, VietNam, Indonesia, Singapore, Venezuela, Mexico, India.
Festival themes were:
2001: Dance in the arts: the arts in dance
"WRITINGS on COLLABORATION"
is the atHome Festivals' publication, summing experience gained during the 3 years of the atHome Festivals.
BUY the BOOK/DVD here
atHome festival 2003
May 12 – 31, 2003
Produced by Across Oceans
in cooperation with
Kaeja d’Dance and The Distillery Jazz Festival Toronto Canada
Theme: Spontaneous Creation
Artists-in-Residence
Susan Lee, Jessica Runge, Louis Laberge-Cote, Maxine Heppner,
Sallie Lyons, Karen Kaeja, Allen Kaeja (dance)
St. Elementary Dirt Band (music)
Sonora New Music Ensemble (music)
Motria Sabat (visuals)
WORKSHOPS at Dancemakers studio
Each of 7 days led by one movement artist, introducing approach and ways used for improvisation and improvisational choreography
Collaborative development of performance scores
Development and tests of performance scores with music ensembles
Improvise and remember
DISCUSSIONS at Dancemakers studio, Transac Club, Distillery District rehearsal hall
Difference between improvisation and improvisational choreography
Known dance, known music reconstructed into something…new?
When music leads how does dance follow?
When dance leads can music support without defining content?
Constructing without locking
PERFORMANCES May 23, 30, 31
dance/music live performance The Distillery Jazz Festival
including live videography and writing
POST-PRODUCTION
editing of documentation of workshops, discussions and performance collaborations
atHome festival 2002
atHome festival 2001
May 28 – June 17, 2001
Produced by Across Oceans Hosted by York University Faculty of Fine Arts
Theme: Dance in the arts: the arts in dance
KEYNOTE GUESTS
Rachel Cooper, Asia Society , New York City,
Kay Flavell, New Pacific Studios Pacific Rim
Grant Strate
Artists-in-Residence
Joanna Das (Kathak dance) and Blake Parker (spoken word)
Grindl Kuchirka (clown), Oliver Schorer (music), Charlie (dog clown)
Hanafi (visual art), R.W.Stevenson (music), Maxine Heppner (dance, interdisciplinary),
Jessica Runge (contemporary dance)
Elizabeth Langley (mentor of training participants)
Kaeja d’Dance (contemporary dance) with Edgardo Moreno (music)
co-produced with Holmgang (visual art )and Jyri Suominen (lighting)
Weekly Schedule
Daily physical training led by Elizabeth Langley 9:30-10:30
Workshops with artists-in-residence 10:30–12, 2-4
Daily studios/rehearsals for observation of actual process
Lunchtime and happy hour discussions 1-2, 4-5
Evening performances/exhibits
WORKSHOP THEMES (2 sessions each)
Contact, interact, create: Kaeja d’Dance company
Lighting as rhythm, time and form Jyri Suonimen
Rhythm in Kathak: Joanna Das
Music with sticks and bones: Edgardo Moreno
Body in Language: Blake Parker
Characterization: Grindl Kuchirka
Colour in Space: Hanafi
Performance energy is a cyclic path: Maxine Heppner
Making music from the inside : R.W. Stevenson
Integrating Information Elizabeth Langley
DISCUSSION THEMES
Creation in intense environments guest Grant Strate
Collaborative natures MC Maxine Heppner
Elements across disciplines general
Movement in all the arts general
Collaborating across species (demo) Grindl Kuchirka and Charlie the Dog
Collaborating with administration guest Linda Clouette-McKay
Demonstrations/discussion of each artist group’s research
PERFORMANCES and EXHIBITIONS collaborations
Exhibition of Holmgang visual art (Sweden) Across Oceans production at Joe Green Foyer
Pre-premiere “Resistance” Kaeja d’Dance, Across Oceans production at Joe Green Theatre
“Small Midnight” Moonhorse Dance Theatre production
works by Claudia Moore, Ted Robinson Artword Theatre
Toronto Tabla Ensemble music production at duMaurier Theatre Harbourfront
ArrayMusic Young Composers’ Concert production at The Music Gallery
One2One Gallery and Across Oceans' exhibit of Hanafi’s paintings and performance with
Padmonojati: Javanese mask dance and “Study for Distance”: Stevenson, Runge, Heppner
“Older and Reckless” production of dances by Holly Small, Danny Grossman, Maxine Heppner,
Viv Moore, Claudia Moore at Dancemakers Theatre
SYMPOSIA: Collaborations as global ecology
Art away from Home
How do we work and understand each other