meta_FAMILY

Julia Bardsley has embarked on a new phase of research and presentation models by creating the meta_FAMILY project.

An ensemble of local performers is selected & undergoes a week of ‘training’ in order to become the meta_FAMILY. The idea of the Family is taken as the thematic core, where a framework of ‘exercises’ is established that structure the work but that allow the Family members to live & respond in the moment.

A family is a variable unit of human beings that exists in multiple ways, with its own internal rules of operation and structuring protocols. Each family, although unique, is based in deep-rooted archetypal roles. These generic archetypes form the foundation of the piece. The space in which the meta_FAMILY functions is a type of gymnasium – a site for organizing physical & psychological behavior, a zone of instruction, workout & the interplay of power dynamics. The intention is to modulate the conventions of both the family & the gymnasium to create a hybrid of both.

The meta_FAMILY is a work that is always modulating, existing in multiple editions, and being re-born in each new location, with each new group of participating members. (Julia Bardsley)

"from the moment of birth the baby is subjected to these forces of violence called love, as its mother and father have been, and their parents before them. These forces are mainly concerned with destroying most of its potentialities." (R.D.Laing from ‘Sanity, Madness & the Family’)

Performers: Marijs Boulogne, Senka Božič, Manca Dorrer, Tea Grahek, Olja Grubić, Tanja Sabol (the FAMILY) and Julia Bardsley (The STEP).

Organized by: City of Women; In cooperation with: KUD Pozitiv and DIC

Supported by: A Space for Live Art.