International

FROM THE RESIDENCIES

“…. enabled me to see where my practice is at the moment – where it is going and how I might remove barriers in the development of my unique choreographic fingerprint…”
– Resident Artist

PROJECT HISTORY

14 – 16 JULY 2023 | Bassano del Grappa – a two day series of facilitated workshops with dramaturg Monica Gillette.  
At this year’s Gathering, we were also thrilled to be joined by photographer Anna Kushnirenko and local artist, Sara Lando who will create a series of works to capture the energy of the weekend – here’s a wee flavour of the Gathering through her visual notes while we wait for the artworks to mature.

Sara Lando (Marostica, 1978) lives and works in Bassano del Grappa. Her work explores identity, the boundaries between what is real and what is imagined, and how memory deteriorates and remodels with the passage of time. She uses mixed techniques including photography, illustration, collage and three-dimensional and textural elements. She is interested in collaboration with non-human artistic partners and the concept of diffuse authorship. The techniques she uses stem from a playful curiosity and direct interaction with the object and explore the degradation of the image and the concept of creation as a consequence of the physical destruction of an object.

Anna Kushnirenko is a dance and photography artist from Ukraine. As a dancer started her way in the private contemporary dance school and then developed skills accessing workshops, dance festivals and camps, co-creating and being part of dance performances with an emphasis on contemporary dance and improvisation, has experienced Iyengar yoga for 4 years. Her movement practice is built around dance improvisation and different movement games, with the aim to create connection to space and people. As a photographer, she has mainly worked with people (experience in posing doesn’t matter), making documentation for events and private portrait shootings. She gives attention to the details, that are part of big complex things. She’s inspired by life’s unique moments and nostalgia.

3 – 13 JULY 2023 | Residency at OperaEstate/CSC, Bassano – Justine Cooper, Irish dance artist
Justine’s residency took the form of a solo pilgrimage that evolved into a 3-strand weave, exploring foraged visual choreography and archetypal wisdom from plants in the beautiful surrounds of Bassano to address anxiety through donated gestures of care. Supported by the other project artists and a local herbalist, she shared an improvised Qi Gong-enriched practice with the deeply inspiring participants of the local Dance Well class. The 10-day experience culminated with the second collective facilitated gathering of Choreography Connects artists, igniting further questions and discoveries in her endeavour to create a choreographic quilt of care.

15 – 25 MAY 2023 | Residency at CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Dublin – Marion Carriau, French dance artist (supported by Dublin Dance Festival)
Marion’s residency in Dublin took place almost exclusively outdoors – on the beach – with the Irish weather being unusually kind. The intensity of the solitary experience was balanced with a number of encounters with the Irish project artists’ and workshops/performances at Dublin Dance Festival.

20 – 31 MARCH 2023 | Residency at Le Gymnase CDCN, Roubaix – Chiara Frigo, Italian dance artist.
The first French residency took place in tandem with Le Gymnase’s signature festival “Le Grand Bain” giving an opportunity for established Italian artist, Chiara Frigo to marry solitary creative explorations with vibrant conversations with other artists and the public at the festival performances and events around the region.

21 NOVEMBER – 3 DECEMBER 2022 | Inaugural Residency at CoisCéim Dance Theatre, Dublin – Vittoria Caneva, Italian dance artist.
To connect with Vittoria’s interest in working with older communities and people with Parkinson’s this residency included encounters with Olwyn Lyons, leader of the Dance for Parkinson’s class at Dance Ireland and Mia Di Chiaro at CoisCéim Broadreach’s Weekly Wednesday class at the Carmelite Community Centre, as well as creative exploration on and offsite with Irish project artists Justine Cooper and Aoife McAtamney. It culminated with an invited sharing on 2 December.