10th DAYS OF PERFORMANCE. 2017
The 10th DAYS of Performance took place in Lviv.
August 28 – September 3, 2017, Days of Performance Art – the first Ukrainian festival of art-performance took place in Lviv. Every year, the festival demonstrates unique, successful practices and is the space for communication between performers of different cultures, generations, and schools.
This year, artists from Thailand Nopawan Sirivejkul, Mongkol Plienbangchang and Sareena Sattapon came to participate in the festival. These were the first performances by Thai performers in Ukraine. As well as the participation of Stein Henningsen from Norway – a performer living on the island of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean near to the North Pole.
Also, this year’s participants of the Days of Performances have been artists from the United Kingdom – Sandra Johnston and Alastair Maclennan, Israel – Tamar Raban, Shahar Marcus and Tal Rosen, Poland – Janusz Baldyga and Tomasz Szrama and Ukraine – Volodymyr Kaufman, Vasily Bazhay, Yaroslav Futimsky, Hlib Vysheslavsky, Maria Drozdova and Vitaly Shuplyak.
An experimental educational part of the festival School of Performance, which was organized in order to form a new generation of Ukrainian performers, had a significant influence on the Festival. This year the training was conducted in two curriculums. The program “Presence/absence” was led by the famous Polish performer and the permanent teacher of the School Janusz Baldyga. The “Finding Ways” program was led by the Professors of Ulster University Sandra Johnston and Alastair Maclennan.
In addition to performance, meetings with artists, lectures, video shows, master classes were also held during the festival. The Days of Performance ended with a discussion between Ukrainian and foreign artists, art critics, organizers, students of the School of Performance and spectators who attended the performances during the festival.
The curator of the festival from the Ukrainian side Volodymyr Kaufman:
- Features of the 10th festival
The festival expands the geography of the participants and continues to familiarize our audience with new trends of performance art.
These Days of Performance featured artists from Thailand and Norway. The team of Thai participants was represented by several generations. Their performances impressed us by their philosophical and psychological originality. Regarding Norwegian performer Stein Henningsen, it is worth saying that his performance and lecture clearly highlighted the theme of environmental problems.
The premieres of young Ukrainian performers Maria Drozdova from Kharkiv and Vitaly Shuplyak from Ternopil region were also held within the framework of the festival.
An important event of this year’s festival was the lecture by Hlib Vysheslavsky “Actionism in Ukraine. Terminology and History. ” It launches an analytical block of the festival, which we will develop in the future.
During its ten-year history, the festival has created its own environment, which perceives and analyzes performance.
Art-director of the Festival Lida Savchenko-Duda:
- About the format of next festival
If previously we thought that the absence of a stable location in Lviv, where it would be possible to conduct performances, is a minus, now we see advantages in such a free choice of territory. When performers themselves choose their location, the performances are associated with the place and become more energetic. Perhaps next year artists will go to Lviv for a few days, explore the city, the atmosphere and create their performances.
- About the School of Performance
The number of people who want to participate in the School of Performance this year has reached the maximum. We had to choose 30 students out of 80 applications. As a result, we got the best graduation teams from all of the years. As Sandra Johnston has noted, the workshop did not dominate the final work of the students but gave impetus to the emergence of their own ideas. This is a testimony to the fact that here they learn to think first of all. And that’s exactly what we want.
Additional information:
Days of Performances Art in Lviv is the only festival of art-performance in Ukraine. The festival aims to outline a new generation of Ukrainian performers and stimulate the development of performance art in Ukraine. Each year, within the framework of the festival, an experimental training platform the School of Performance is being held, which gives all of the participants the opportunity to take on the experience of reputable masters and present their own ideas. The organizers of the festival are the Institute of Contemporary Art and Art Association “Dzyga”.
The Days of Performance took place within the framework of the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Practices “Berezil”.
The organizers of the festival are the Institute of Contemporary Art and Art Association “Dzyga”.
Partners: Lviv city council, NGO «Virmenska 35», The Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Lviv, Lviv museum of religion history, Lviv Palace of Art, Blur Borders Art Project
Media partners: Zruc, Varianty, Liviy Bereh, Korydor, Old Fashioned Radio, Bit Ua
