Julia Bardsley - meta_FAMILY

Public workshop presentation

2012 / 60'

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)

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

Supported by: A Space for Live Art.