Common Projects
THE NEW MOVEMENT
Statue or To-stand?
The monuments erected in our cities are materialised ambitions of memory. Stories of origins, glory and historical trauma have been embodied in hard, lasting materials. Nationalistic statues around us give the appearance of collective memory and continuity, originally intended to create an imagined community – narratives to unite around. But which bodies deserve to be included? Monarchs erected in bronze and copper have given names to our streets and squares. They continue to make history as we take their names into our mouths. Where do these monuments begin and where do they end? Over their bodies lies a shimmer of permanence, but this is also a surface where collective memories can be challenged. In Statues or To-Stand, monumental statues’ claims to stability are confronted with human life and presence. The three-hour performance challenges different aspects of a monument’s creation and effect. Around a table, a meeting takes place, an open discussion that twists and turns notions of memory, identity and representation. Language is not limited to the tongue, and through both the words of bodies and surrealist elements, power and bureaucracy are revealed. In a transition that focuses on the absurdity of the abstract, a group dynamic deepens, a mutual understanding that explores how we relate to each other in a shared space, and by extension, in life. The non-white bodies construct a safe and expanding space that is activated by different senses throughout the work. It is not a fixed, choreographic material, but rather an instinctive composition – an improvisational method that requires openness, but also vulnerability, in order to mutually bring the work forward. Based on a joint decision – and only then – a counter-monument is created on one or more occasions. This is an intervention in the existence of the traditional monument, an interrogation that through human bodies seeks to expose the inherent fragility of collective memory. Statues or To-Stand is a work that enters the Culture of Memory to renegotiate the ways in which a monument can represent human life. History is considered as a rewritable discourse, and moments with the potential to capture our multicultural present are explored. It is performed as an open installation that can be viewed from any position in the space, and the audience is invited to come and go at their own pace.
When & where is this happening?
Kommendanthuset in Malmö
7th & 8th June 2024
7th – 10AM
8th – 1PM
Free entrance
Both performances are happening before The Swedish Poetry Slam championships. Why not see our show and stay on for an incredible festival and competition of spoken word!
Who are we?
Co-drector/Performer – Khamlane Halsackda
Co-drector/Performer – Majula Drammeh
Co-creators/Performers – Nidia Martinez Barbieri, Daniel Jeremiah Persson, Rumiko Otsuka
Composer – Cassius Lambert
Costume designer – Mary-Anne Buyondo
Advisor – Anna Adeniji
Publicity text by – Alexander Kateb
Publicity photos – Graham Adey
Who funded us? Malmö city & the Region of Skåne. With support from Riksteatern production residency for dance. Additional support from STPLN @malmo_stad_officiell @regionskane @riksteatern
Special shout out to Sanna Lilie at STPLN for being so accommodating. Sarah Nakiito for being a perfect extra in our publicity photos. Anna Adeniji for grounding us.
Photo Credit: AdeY
Dance Safari
DANCE SAFARI an exciting community project bringing amateurs and professional dancers together for a site-specific performance, led and choreographed by Nya Rörelsen and made in collaboration with participants from Konstkupan.
The performance scatters many choreographies about human interaction, connection and conversation out into a landscape where audiences must watch from a viewpoint. Provided a dance map and binoculars they must search for the dances and choose which to watch, creating a fun and engaging experience of “people watching” as well as seeing our public spaces with fresh eyes! Audiences are encouraged to bring headphones and a mixed playlist so they can even choose what music to hear with the dances.
Dance Safari brings together immigrant groups and Swedes, providing a creative hub that encourages togetherness and inclusiveness through artistic collaboration.
Photo Credit: Patrik Palm
Visible / Not visible
This community project is talking about the idea of what ‘visibility’ means for young people from vastly different backgrounds and experiences. Bringing them together so they can share their stories with each other and the public, building bridges across what may divide our society into minorities.
Being young brings its own difficulties with being heard, but refugee youths have the added burden of a political circumstance that has forced a situation. Many are at a crossroads waiting to become fully integrated within Swedish society. How do they cope in this existence? What do they need in order to feel that even in a state of ‘no man’s land’ they can still feel relevant?
Visible / Not visible was led by Graham Adey and made in collaboration with Nya Rörelsen members and the participants.
Photo Credit: AdeY
