<the program>
For this art residency Janaína Moraes invited artists Christina Clarke (England), Katherine Mandolidis (Canada), Neža Jamnikar (Slovenia) and Ruchi Ahuja (India) to live for 72 hours in a historical building of Mt Eden (Aotearoa/New Zealand).
The building, the first Indian restaurant in New Zealand, holds the memories of Te Roto a Rangi, a lake which flows beneath the flesh of Dominion Rd. Its reminiscence invited us to imagine how we can coexist in flashes of fragmented remembrances. During this flash art residency we invented/attempted to invent modes for crossing the ocean and interconnect with artists Leo Rodrigues, Ivana Mota and Gabriel Guirá in Brazil.
Over the 3 days, intimate explorations encapsulated notions of residence, fabricating choreographic relationships amongst those who frequented MoveSpace (the building is currently a co-working space). Through the desires of the self, and the collective, a thread of micro narratives have emerged, in flesh.
During the last 3 hours of residency, the general public was invited to enter in a space infused of fragments of such a quick and intense burst of experimentation. When in the space, audience members were given a map with the words:
<form of access> invitation
<conditions for participation> 72 Hours, self-managed and supported by The University of Auckland
<the space> MoveSpace Event space, Meeting Room, Podcast Room, Kitchen, Toilets and Bedroom.
<activities developed by the residence> guided movement explorations; embodied discussions; devising and site-situated performances; doctoral confirmation review presentation.
'Behold the map, a souvenir. Souvenir, evolved from the French word venir - “to come” and sub - “up from below”, appeared during this residency as a reimagining of what it may mean to re-member. Use this piece of paper as a tool to navigate the flesh-ness of the personal and collective experiences the group of artists have encountered and embodied here.'
* All photos here presented were captured by artist Christina Clarke during our experiments. They were, then, curated and reorganised in this page by Janaína Moraes in free associations of past and current re-membrances on the narratives of residing n' desiring: how long do we want to sustain an experience?
in this space between reading and moving, the words (un)settle the imaginary. micro pleasures of an invented home. as you read, I dance ordinary gestures of a corridor-library transformed into house.
someone resides here.
how long have you not
seen them? what are
their names? what do
they like to do? how much
do you know about it?
it.
lay
we
carpet
the
on
floor?
the
onto
it
drop
let's
say:
I
language.
pre-
is
work
my
says:
he
residence.
in
co-exist
can
we
so whatsapp
through messages
exchange
we
Aotearoa
to
Brazil
from
Tapete
Chegar.
Pôr os pés na voz.
Tat(ear) o som.
Fee(l)t.
A primeira camada.
(Lay)er.
A pele da linguagem.
Text/espess/temperat (ura).
Sk_in.
ENT(end)ER? De(could)ficar?
Com(unica?)action.
Ouvir. Voltar. Ouvir de novo.
Round. Sound.
So und.
So under.
So under stand.
how many answers do you have? how many questions? I ask, you answer, I respond. you are. we are. residents of a corner.
as they enter in the lounge, I serve tea. She serves her body parts. We question about colour, smell and value. We try to welcome. We come.
that
in
habit
the
pla
ce
the
bo
dy
the
void
staring the problem, embodying the problem as an invitation
well
the
star'
stare
stair
experiences
ing
ground
un
surrounding
the
to
surrender
I see you seeing the entrails. I see you seeing the anatomic structures of the building. I see you see. Shall we dissect these structures? Bones, ligaments, tendons, feet, belly button. In the flesh, in the skin, on the surfaces of paint, scratch, dust, wall, squat to see to listen to the voices
questioning
real-time
approximate
to
desire
The
looser.
were
the
plans
and
higher
were
stakes
the
time
this
At
Brazil
in
experience
"defence"
my
from
different
yet
similar
were
programme
this
of
motivations
the
and assimilating guided me through the very sense of co(n)fusion, where co (-llaboration, -mmunity, -nviviality, -existence) were contents and
containers of the fusions between practice and theory, performance and research, art and academia.
In saying that the stakes were higher, I particularly mean my sense of foreignness. The foreigner language, the less known community and the guest-host fluidity within the space enhanced my vulnerability within the situation - this time I could literal
You told me that sleeping in this room made you hear voices from a future past. I desired to talk with them. I desired us talking with them. Making space for utterances of time and presence and absence to be felt, to be voiced. Have a sit, let's talk...
ly feel the effects of confusion changing my body as my body changed (with) the space. Added to the challenge of activating such an open-ended experience as my choice of “assessment”, this event was marking another landmark in the timeline of my course: if in 2019 the master presentation configured a “final” one, in 2021 FAR was presenting an opening ground of questions. The point of arrival from that year was transformed into the point of departure for this year, where art residency became an experiment with form as well as with concept. Now it was dear to me that I attended it as “researching” in the very moment of “presenting”.
