European networks
APAP: Feminist Futures
a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
apap – advancing performing arts project is an international network of 11 cultural organisations from all over Europe. The network exists since 2000. Funded by different EU cultural programmes apap has managed to collaborate continuously on supporting a high number of artists as well as developing new formats according to changing artistic practices and needs throughout the years.
The new project apap – FEMINIST FUTURES is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and aims for an even more ambitious undertaking: initiate powerful social changes through art.
The main goal of the project is to address inequality in the contemporary Performing Arts, using the body of thought consolidated by the term Intersectional Feminism to find concrete structural answers and raise public awareness. Not only artists, art works and formats would operate under this focus, but also the network itself, each partner with their working methods and relations, considers themselves as object of inspection under this thematical umbrella.
What will apap do
during these four years:
- Support 20 artists on a long-term base. 12 artists have been chosen by the apap partners. These artists are now being asked, together with the partners, to choose 8 more artists to join the project. Each of them will receive co-production grants, as well as residencies and performance possibilties.
The first 12 artists to join FEMINIST FUTURES are: Agata Maszkiewicz, Ana Dubljevic, Anne-Lise Le Gac, buren, Chiara Bersani, Harun Morrison / They are Here, Ingrid Berger Myhre, Milla Koistinen, Naomi Velissariou, Paula Diogo, Sergiu Matis, Tatiana Julien.
BUDA chose the collective buren, founded by Oshin Albrecht en Melissa Mabesoone. Their multi-media practice goes from performance on stage to installations, videos and publication and explores relations between labour and leisure, domestic space, definition and categorizing of things. Their feminist and critical approach leads them to revisit relations of power, clichés and women stereotypes. Their work is driven by a great sense of humour and can be akin to a quiet comedy, with feminist burlesque, and soon a musical that makes you laugh and feel gently discomfort until the meaning of objects and language is opened up again.
- During the four years we are planning more than 50 co-productions of the artists supported and around 100 presentations, also more than 50 residencies will be hosted.
- 5 FEMINIST FUTURES FESTIVALS will be conceived and realised by 2-3 partner organisations each. While working together on curation as well as production and PR, they will exchange, learn from each other and moreover find sustainable production structures. Each festival will appear in two similar but not identical versions in two cities, one after the other.
- During the Feminist Futures Festival, a Feminist School will also be held at each partner location. Designed as an exchange of practices and knowledge among partners, artists and audiences in a non-hierarchical, feminist environment, it will offer all participants the opportunity to acquire new skills.
- In total 55 Ventures, which are part of the regular program of each partner, provide access for local groups to Performing Arts. These outreach-projects offer the possibilty for artists to place their interests and practice in various contexts, engage with different audiences, and cooperate with specific local organisations.
- A Learning Exchange with the School Escola Livre de Dança da Maré directed by the choreographer Lia Rodrigues in Rio de Janeiro. Three residencies for apap artists will be offered in Rio, and three Brazilian dancers will be invited for residencies in three partner organizations.
- A new cycle of the mentoring programme Critical Practice (Made in Yugoslavia) Programme which enables young critics, writers or writing artists to produce texts, artistic talks, short podcasts, etc. Two cycles of writers will visit seminars and workshops hosted by apap-partners as well as partners of the NOMAD dance academy-network.
Partners
11 cultural organizations in Europe:
InSZPer, Warsaw, Poland | STATION, Belgrade, Serbia | BOULEVARD, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands | SZENE Salzburg, Austria | D. Maria II National Theater, Lisbon, Portugal | Central Fies, Dro, Italy | BIT Teatergarasjen, Bergen, Norway | Reykjavik Dance Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland | Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, Amiens, Frankrijk | Tanzfabrik Berlin, Berlin, Germany | BUDA arts centre, Kortrijk, Belgium
Be My Guest
Be My Guest is a structured and organic network dedicated to emerging practices in performing arts.
It gathers 11 international partners attentive to the renewal of artistic forms and knowned for their commitment to artists.
Based on the complicity, the confidence and the freedom of the exchanges, Be My Guest questions itself on adapted ways to answer the needs of the artists, it is attentive to their trajectories and is based on a relationship of invested support, with a long course follow-up. Thanks to the support of Pro Helvetia and the French Institute Be My Guest supports 3 projects in co-production per year. In addition to this financial support, Be My Guest offers a variety of collaborations: distribution, residencies, workshops …
Be My Guest is also a space for reflection on our professional practices, connected to current social issues.
The network meets 3 times a year in plenary and meets regularly more informally on the occasion of programming highlights in Europe and beyond.
Partners
arts center BUDA – kortrijk (BE) | La Bellone – Brussels (BE) | Kaaitheater – Brussels (BE) | Théâtre Saint-Gervais – Geneva (CH) | Belluard Festival – Fribourg (CH) | Parallèle – Marseille (FR) | ICI-CCN – Montpellier (FR) | Théâtre de la Bastille — Paris (FR) | Artsadmin — London (GB) | Short Theatre — Rome (IT) | Materiais Diversos — Lisbonne (PT) | Tanzquartier — Vienne (AT)
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