DIY: 2008 – Open Space

A weekend escape to the Clent Hills for artists working in live art from the West Midlands conurbation. A chance to play in the great outdoors, and to explore how our city-based practices fare when set free in an “open space” without walls.

Led by Katie Day, Artistic Director of The Other Way Works.

Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 August 2008.
The Clent Hills, just outside Birmingham, West Midlands.
Deadline: FULLY BOOKED.

The Project
Open Space takes artists working in live art out of their usual metropolitan habitat, and out into the open space of the countryside. Removing the walls that contain much site-specific work (made inside buildings), in order to see if that has the power to remove the mental walls we build up around our own practise. The weekend will be a challenge to the participants’ usual ways of working. Artists will be confronted with an endless choice of outdoor locations – in a wood, out in the open on top of the hill, in a bird-watching hide, beside a lake, on the path, or in the undergrowth. They will also be confronted with different and new approaches to creating work, introduced by Katie Day and another participating artist, and the given opportunities to practically experiment with them.

Application Procedure
There are up to 12 places available for artists, and priority will be given to those from the West Midlands. Applications are invited from practising artists, recent graduates and students (graduate and undergraduate) in the fields of live art, performance art and experimental theatre. To apply please email your cv to Katie Day at [email protected] with your answers to the following questions:

• What is an ‘open space’?
• When did you feel most restricted in a creative process? Why?
• In your life, when have you felt the most free?

Following selection, participants will be provided with further details about times, transport details etc.

About the Artist
Katie Day is the Artistic Director of The Other Way Works. Based in Birmingham, The Other Way Works creates daring and remarkable performance that draws the audience into the very heart of the experience. Our work often responds to ’site’, and we find it stimulating and rewarding to create and perform our work in non-traditional spaces. More details on www.theotherwayworks.co.uk.

Any Questions
If you have any questions regarding Open Space please contact: Katie Day –[email protected].