dance takes place
Frankfurt am Main, 15.02.2022
50°07'13.6"N 8°40'38.8"E
How are outdoor performance practices organized?
In what ways do the practices of performing out of doors deal with the unique challenges that being outside brings up? This text is the outcome of my research, that with the support of Dis-Tanz-Solo I was able to conduct. What is written here, is a collection of thoughts and topics gathered from interviews that I conducted with local artists. I am very glad to have a chance to speak with Mariya Barashka, Theaterwissenschaftlerin und Produktionsleiterin (1000lovelyproductions), with Bastian Sistig - https://www.bastiansistig.com/about - and with Ole Frahm vom Künstlerkollektiv LIGNA.
For me, in addition to some useful advice, and how-to tips, being able to connect my initial research questions to true understanding and “aha moments” became the most meaningful aspect of that process. I hope the following reflections could also be useful for other artists interested, or new to the idea of organizing performances in public space.
Beginning with how to begin.
While doing the interviews, I realized that every work, and every creation practice is… different! While, similar questions about the relation to the chosen site may arise. These questions are impacted by the artistic processes, and are also strongly linked to the organizational acts dictated by the individual project, demanding often, the ability to think forward, and reflect back later.
Is the work strongly dependent on the chosen location?
What is the history of that place?
What is architecture?
What function does the place have?
What kind of public, (aside from those with tickets), do you want to meet?
Who is inhabiting that place normally?
How does the light change throughout the day?
What acoustics does the place have?
How does your body feel there?
How much do you want to relate to the specificities of the site in your performance?
Is it a public or a private place?
What is the relation of the spectators to the place?
Will the site be part of the creation process?
Then:
find a project manager and a good technician!
With the help of some qualified support personal, you might begin to answer the following questions: How will you separate the public from the passers-by? (Do you want that?) If the performance is longer than one hour - how do you enable access to public restrooms? What kind of technical equipment will you need for your work, and for this particular space? Will you need a supply of electricity?
To help you with some questions it is very much recommended to involve a project manager, or even two, who will help you to anticipate the questions as they come up, and have much knowledge to support you. Also, for technically complex works it is good to hire a good technician that is familiar with event law in public spaces that determine aspects like: how loud the music should be or how the equipment can be stored safely overnight, etc. If the technician has a lot of experience in working outdoors, he/she could also support with knowhow about where to borrow equipment from etc. (Stromgenerator, Stromerzeuger - strong light would have to be connected to a high voltage (Hochspannungsstrom)
Given the current pandemic situation you would also need a Hygiene concept. A project manager will help you with that too!
51° 12' 8,268" N 16° 9' 59,48" E
Next step:
Ordnungsamt / Grünflächenamt
What if, you come to your site to perform your work on Friday evening and suddenly… there is a demonstration of hundreds shouting: “support for the LGBTQ+ community in Poland!''. Do you join them or do you do your thing regardless of it? How do you avoid conflicts of interest?
For all types of activities that gather large groups of people, which are publicly promoted, and require ticket purchase, the city municipalities need to be consulted. In Frankfurt, one would initially consult the “Ordnungsamt” and eventually also the “Grünflächenamt” (public office for parks, grünanlagen, spielplätzen, stadtplätzen - link to see what this department is responsible for.) Larger cities have the procedures mechanized and will be able to provide more information with regards to what they need from you and perhaps offer more assistance. In smaller cities or villages, it is sometimes enough to get in touch with the Mayor of the town and communicate with him or her.
Unfortunately, it is not easy if you are a solo artist, or a small, or new collective. It can be difficult to get permission for performances in public space from the city municipalities. Sometimes, it is much easier to organize the performance in the frame of a festival, or be part of a program within a larger institution. In such cases, there are most probably people responsible for the communication with the city, who will gather all the necessary documents for you. Institutional support could also mean that the ticketing and promotion of your event are taken care of for you.
Achtung! If you are showing your work in the context of a theater or venue that usually shows work in their building - it is important to ensure that you have support for communication with the city and that service is provided for you early on in the project. Some institutions assume that the artist will take responsibility for communication with the municipalities.
Another important aspect for this communication process is to ensure that it is taken care of early enough. It can in certain situations take up to eight months to get a final decision!
However, in the case that your performance takes place on private property (a construction site, private parking lot etc.), you don’t need to consult the city. In such cases, it is enough to write a user agreement (Nutzungsverainbarung), which deals with all the information regarding the project with particular attention to: when, what, and how. Many bigger private companies usually have personnel responsible for dealing with the usage of the space, and even have their own storage, sanitary facilities and cables or basic technical equipment with access to the necessary amount of electricity. Another big plus of locating the work in a privately owned space is that if you so wish, you can easily separate the spectators from the general public and avoid passers by having an unexpected influence on the performance.
How far do you let the legal rules and organizational aspects play a role in your decision making process?
Finally of course, it’s all about people.
Who are the people you want to work with? Are you all ready for the unexpected to influence your creation process? Thingslike bad weather, hard floors not supporting excessive dancing barefoot, belongings having to lay around close to where you are, or no running water to wash your hands…
It is important to consider how much you, and the artists you work with spend time rehearsing onsite. One of the artists I interviewed strongly underlined that the rehearsal days should be way shorter than the usual rehearsal hours we would spend in the studio spaces. Also, it is important to communicate and plan the actions as soon as possible and inform the performers about the working conditions - everyone has different tolerances to aspects like sun, passers-by, or to being exposed in a public space. Unless, you work within a stable collective and you know the limits of each other and your ways of working.
The situation can get very fragile. Not everyone who passes by will have the same understanding of what we are doing. Not everyone recognizes that it is dancing, not everyone knows what a performative situation means. Our bodies represent a lot, even just by the way they look. Once we are using the public space, especially places that are crowded, we need to be aware that we are placing ourselves within the dynamics of social issues like racism, homophobia, sexism, hate, and all the other demons out there! Make sure you are offering a safe space for your co-workers and, eventually, talk about how you will proceed in moments, when you might be attacked(verbally or physically), or when someone provokes a discussion you don’t want to participate in.
What do you need?
Bluetooth headphones? Cables? Smartphone for everyone?
Think from whom you could borrow it! It is often cheaper
and more sustainable than purchasing new equipment.
Do we want more?
Unfortunately, there are not many funds and festivals for specifically outdoor productions in public spaces. But, the pandemic made such works more visible and easier to get support for. But also, didn’t it become easier to be looked at? Didn’t we gain tools and develop fantasies on what we can do outdoors? I have the feeling that the years of the pandemic were a great lecture for many of us about how to view, and how to participate in art taking place outdoors. We rediscovered how meaningful it is to discover different places in our cities and strengthen our connection to the place we live in. At the same time, we should not forget that site-specific art and performance outside of the theaters and art institutions already has been a part of art history and practice for many years. What can we do so that this trend stays once the pandemic situation eases up? Or, are we going to hide back in the theater, sitting close to one another as spectators?
In the last year, laPROF published a very informative Brochure about „Performing Arts in Public Spaces”. It is available in English as well as in German language. It contains a lot of very useful information. In the moment of me applying for the DIS TANZ SOLO founding I did not know that it was coming. I found it astonishingly rich and helpful. Have a look:
50°08'16.0"N 8°40'34.6"E
Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.
