ground_-.ing through improvisation

phil|cult|art RESIDENCY II

O P E N C A L L

O P E N CA L L

rahmung / framing

Frederik Rzewski, Little Bangs: A Nihilist Theory of Improvisation, 2022

the world is constantly changing. and time is teaching us that there is nothing to be taken for granted. what seems to be stable in one moment can collapse in the next and what we have now may be gone tomorrow.

when our surroundings become unstable, when we lose the solid ground beneath our feet, when we realize: we are falling – there is no stopping, neither is there time nor chance to turn back. in this case, the most reasonable focus seems to be: staying confident and comfortable as we are falling.

and that is something to be practiced: it’s not about learning to adapt, but about staying fine within the process of change and being aware of its (new) possibilities.

„Improvisation tells us: Anything is possible
– anything can be changed – now.“

in that sense we will focus on the skill of improvisation, the skill of falling. improvisation, as it is often used as a tool in artistic practices, can be trained and applied to every-day- situations in one’s personal life as well as to fragile constructions of society. being aware of its potential opens up opportunities to make change actively happen.

„It can function as a kind of abstract laboratory in which experimental forms of communication can be tried without risk of damage to persons.“

the improviser’s natural state is one of uncertainty, the professional improviser listens carefully to his/her surroundings and trusts – based on experience – that the outcome will be good.

therefore, in the second edition of our laboratory phil|cult|art residency, we will elaborate – how to practice and how to achieve –

ground_-.ing through improvisation ?*

Only at the cost of losing the basis of all my certainties can I question what is conveyed to me by my presence to myself.

– Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception, 1945

*the process is the outcome
the question will evolve

how

we invite four emerging artists / researchers / philosophical thinkers (all disciplines)

– to join our curated phil|cult|art residency (find last year’s edition here)

– to take part in guided philosophical sessions and workshops related to the frame topic

– to go on excursions and connect with other artists and the local community

– to collectively experiment „practicing space“ (live, cook, work, discuss etc.) with us together in an artistic commune atmosphere

when/where

the residency takes place from July 31st – August 27th 2023

in an almost 500-years-old farmer’s building, located in the center of a Tyrolean countryside-village (30km from Innsbruck), surrounded by a garden and the alps

*provided:
– accomodation (private room, shared bathrooms, shared kitchen, indoor and outdoor working spaces, wifi)
– opportunities to present works to the public
– travel costs up to € 300,-
– a stipend of € 700,-
(*not provided: insurance, visa costs)

apply

until March 1st 2023 with CV / portfolio and a letter of motivation

– include your intention: why you want to participate in our program?

– include your contribution: in which form you consider yourself contributing to the residency and its environment?

– include a proposal / some vague ideas for a project (which doesn’t necessarily have to be carried out/still can be changed)

via mail to home@grund1535.com

questions? home@grund1535.com

LITERATURE

[selection]

I Ching : The Book of Changes, 1000-750 BCE, translated by Richard Wilhelm/Cary Baynes, 1950.

Andra McCartney, „How am I to Listen to You?“ Soundwalking, Intimacy, and Improvised Listening, in: Negotiated Moments : Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice, hg.: Gillian Siddall, Duke University Press, 2016.

Frederic Rzewski, Little Bangs. Towards a Nihilist Theory of Improvisation, Columbia University, 2017.

Gary Peters, Can Improvisation be Taught?, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2005.

Heraclitus of Ephesus, Fragments, 500 BCE, translated by Brooks Haxton, Penguin Classics, 2003.

Keith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers: Theatresports and the Art of Making Things Happen, Routledge, 1999.

Kenkô and Chômei, Essays in Idleness: and Hojoki, 1244/1431, translated by Meredith McKinney, Penguin Classics, 2013.

Luce Irigaray, I Love To You : Sketch of a Possible Felicity in History, translated by Alison Martin, Routledge, 1996.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 161- 180 BCE, translated by Martin Hammond, Penguin Classics, 2006.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception, 1945, translated by Colin Smith, Routledge Classics, 2002.

Suzuki Tadashi. Culture Is the Body, translated by Kameron H. Steele, Theatre Communications Group, 2015.

Tracy McMullen and Judith Butler, Improvisation within a Scene of Constraint : An Interview with Judith Butler, in: Negotiated Moments : Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice, hg.: Gillian Siddall, Duke University Press, 2016.

On flows the river ceaselessly, nor does its water ever stay the same. The bubbles that float upon its pools now disappear, now form anew, but never endure long. And so it is with people in this world, and with their dwellings.

– Kenkô and Chômei, Essays in Idleness: and Hojoki, 1244/1437.

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GRUNDlos | pics: Jovana Štikovac / design: GRUND1535

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