This session welcomes everyone with an interest in touch, performance, choreography, movement, participation, intimacy, poetry, language, sound, and the intersections of art, religion and spirituality.
12 April 2024 | 16:00–18:30 @ Dalmatinova 4, 1000 Ljubljana
For the past years, Birtalan has been engaging in a dialogue between choreography, somatics and medieval mystical theology. This dialogue can be best understood as a playfully weird study on intimacy and heretical knowledge. In this study, touch becomes a form of attending, beyond the bounds of the hand and skin. Instead, touch joins in a dance with language, listening and more hidden depths of sense perception.
We will try out some in-development practices that gently challenge attention, sensation and perception. Simple and playful stuff, like touching everyday objects, looking through the space and engaging with movement in a non-performative manner. You do not need to have any experience in advance. You will not be asked to touch others. We will adjust every activity to our needs, and you’re encouraged to engage or take a step back whenever you feel like. We will also take the time to introduce everything in advance and share our thoughts in an open discussion. Our invitation is to explore the artistic and the sensory realms inspired by mystical writings, without making it a spiritual-mystical-religious practice.
Mentor
Áron Birtalan is an artist, musician, and student of theology, whose work explores languages of pleasure and anguish between angel, creature, and computer. Working with relationships and sense perception as artistic materials, Áron creates guided games, mystical practices, musical releases, unruly thoughts, and hybrid publications. They received their education at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague as well as the DAS Graduate School in Amsterdam, and now pursue doctoral studies at the Stockholm University of the Arts’ Institute for Dance. Their artistic dissertation, Your Bones Hold the Shape of What’s to Come, is due in 2026.
Áron BirtalanHow to apply
The session includes writing exercises in an online cloud-space. Please bring a laptop or tablet with you for a pleasant writing experience! We will not be doing physically strenuous moving, but you are advised to come in clothing you feel comfortable in : )
You do not need any prior knowledge or skills to attend the workshop! The workshop will be held in English. The number of participants is limited. Apply at delavnice@projekt-atol.si
Production
The workshop is part of ARIA residency produced by Zavod Projekt Atol in collaboration with ŠUM as part of the More-than-Planet project. Supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the City of Ljubljana, Department for Culture.
Co-funded by the European Union as part of the Creative Europe framework.