Behind the scenes, while developing things such as the Embodied moving in the City -workshop 2022 and the performative lecture building on that 2023, Insurgent Spatial Practices collective and FEMA artitst have also worked together on the field, exploring and starting to develop a shared practice.
What does it mean when architects, dancers, a choreographer mentor and a dancer film-maker jointly push the boundaries of urban space? FEMA artists explore norm bending practices that encourage people to be in the urban space in another way. Their work situate between dance art and activism. Jointly through discussions and embodied sensitising exercises in the urban space, we have mapped the value of looking to the city and experiencing it from another perspectives. Amongst our aims are to understand, what new knowledge these kinds of exercises can bring to us, and how these exercises could be applied e.g. to teaching of architects and related fields.
In summer residency at Liikelaituri June 2023 we worked for funding applications and tested two new embodied exercises in Sorsapuisto, including moving in pairs and vocal expression. You can see a recording of that here.
December 2023 we wanted to concentrate on city districts under change. To have districts with different characteristics outside the city center, we worked the first day in Nekala, then in Hiedanranta. Regardless of very cold weather (over -15 degrees) we tested and discussed an exercise for joint improvised moving, where we get inspired not only from each other but the elements of the space around us. You can see a recording from our Nekala day here.
We have worked in Nekala also before, June 2022, as we tested the exercises for our workshop to come later that year. The photo above is from that day in the field. Next we will be working in Hiedanranta May 2024 during one week, in order to concentrate on one place more deeply. This far the most promising aspects of our joint work deal with the new spatial sensitivity, awakened empathy towards others and activated embodied memories that all lead to urban experience with new understanding.
People taking part to this work this far are Elina Alatalo and Dalia Milián Bernal from Insurgent Spatial Practices, from FEMA artists Hanna Kahrola, Tuija Touhunen and Anna Kupari, mentored by choreographer dancer Jaakko Simola and complemented with dancer film maker Mia Tiihonen.