DIY: 2008 – The Living Room Project

Spend an intensive weekend with The Living Room Project. A chance for 8 artists to reflect on their own practice through the use of a bespoke ‘tool-kit’.

Led by Sheila Ghelani and Caitlin Newton Broad (with Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa for one afternoon).

Friday 8 August (evening only), Saturday 9 August (full day), and Sunday 10 August 2008 (full day).
Three living rooms across London.
Deadline: FULLY BOOKED.

The Project
At the National Review of Live Art in March 2004 dramaturg and performer Raimund Hoghe described his approach to collaboration; ‘When you collaborate with me,’ Hoghe responded to a question from the audience, ‘I invite you into my living room.’

Established in 2004 by Sheila Ghelani, Caitlin Newton-Broad and Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa the Living Room Project was an artist led critical and creative group set up to support the development of our respective solo practices, all of which, at that time, were going through a period of transition. When we formed the group we were struck by the confidence of Hoghe’s statement and after some discussion realised that if we tried to describe our practices in the same way, all of us would have been hard pushed to identify the content or layout of such rooms.

Four years on this is not so much of a problem, all three of us have got a clear sense of our artistic practices and it is fair to say that each of us attributes a part of this to the Living Room Project.

For this reason we’d now like to pass on some of our bespoke ‘tool-kit’ to other artists that find themselves in a similar position.

By this, we mean artists who might be in transition and want to return to a clearer sense of their personal artistic impetus or need to refresh their starting points.

The sessions will take place in three distinct living rooms across London and will include two meals.

Application Procedure
Aimed at artists with a minimum of four years professional practice.

Using Hogue’s analogy of comparing your practice to a Living Room write a paragraph response to the following question: “How would you describe your living room now?” Please feel free to submit an image as well if that feels appropriate. Applications should be sent to Caitlin at[email protected] and Sheila at [email protected].

About the Artists
Caitlin Newton-Broad is a collaborative artist and producer making work grounded in performance, place, community and new media, currently based in London. She has worked in Australia and Europe as a director, project manager, dramaturg, teacher and writer. From 2005 – 2008 Caitlin was an associate director of the Performance Space, Sydney.

Sheila Ghelani is a performer, maker, lecturer and researcher, working within the sector of experimental theatre/Live Art. She is a member of Pacitti Company and a Blast Theory Associate Artist. Her solo practice is informed by her own experience of being mixed heritage (Indian/English) and addresses ideas that stem from notions of mixing and ‘being mixed’.

Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa’s work is site- but not medium-specific. Her concern is to trace critically the appearances and disappearances, visibilities and invisibilities that structure and condition the public sphere and public memory. She is particularly interested in locating – or intervening in order to articulate – frontier spaces in our public culture: the places and moments when and/or where people, events and activities (can) come into and go out of sight.

Any Questions
If you have specific questions about The Living Room Project you can email Sheila at [email protected].