Because this festival happens under the condition of darkness Because darkness is a parameter not a concept Because of what is not yet known Because of what is not yet noticed Because of what remains Because of what emerges Because the collective experience Because light might be a habit Because you don’t really see but you are really doing something else Because instead you smell, touch, sense, hear, imagine, remember, misinterpret Because it can never be totally dark anyway Because we are also praising risk Because otherwise what Because you might see the negative Because you might see more Because it’s already challenging to do a festival so let’s do it even more challenging Because we could still be together Because we can care without controlling Because we can fail to care and end up controlling Because we want to see what emerges when the lights go out Because we want to see how you perform when the lights go out Because we want to know what you think when the lights go out Because the night Because the consciousness Because the collectivity Because the context Because 2020 Because what if Because I used to be afraid of the dark Because I still leave the light on sometimes Because I want to stop Because of wondering Because of discovering Because of questioning Because are lights always necessary Because when you don’t see you still see Because not seeing is not an option Because we are all in the same boat Because you can’t just take part and leave Because it’s not like the airplane but kind of similar Because it also moves a group from one place to the other Because you are an individual Because you don’t need to be only that Because surrendering Because unfiltering Because archiving Because internalizing
WHY*
The Dark Festival curatorial team would like to thank the faculty and students at the Master program, Home of Performance Practices, ArtEZ, especially Fenia Kotsopoulou and daz disley.
A big thanks to our supportive and helpful technician, Luka Halbe and our invigilators Stelios Troullakis and Gustavo Tomé Garcia.
We’d also like to thank our cohort for either performing in our dark experiment or documenting it.
Eryfili Drakopoulou
Antrianna Moutoula
Ella Tighe
Emily Welther
*This manifesto is inspired by ‘Why’ by Bob Flanagan, written in 1985.
Because this festival happens under the condition of darkness Because darkness is a parameter not a concept Because of what is not yet known Because of what is not yet noticed Because of what remains Because of what emerges Because the collective experience Because light might be a habit Because you don’t really see but you are really doing something else Because instead you smell, touch, sense, hear, imagine, remember, misinterpret Because it can never be totally dark anyway Because we are also praising risk Because otherwise what Because you might see the negative Because you might see more Because it’s already challenging to do a festival so let’s do it even more challenging Because we could still be together Because we can care without controlling Because we can fail to care and end up controlling Because we want to see what emerges when the lights go out Because we want to see how you perform when the lights go out Because we want to know what you think when the lights go out Because the night Because the consciousness Because the collectivity Because the context Because 2020 Because what if Because I used to be afraid of the dark Because I still leave the light on sometimes Because I want to stop Because of wondering Because of discovering Because of questioning Because are lights always necessary Because when you don’t see you still see Because not seeing is not an option Because we are all in the same boat Because you can’t just take part and leave Because it’s not like the airplane but kind of similar Because it also moves a group from one place to the other Because you are an individual Because you don’t need to be only that Because surrendering Because unfiltering Because archiving Because internalizing
Because this festival happens under the condition of darkness Because darkness is a parameter not a concept Because of what is not yet known Because of what is not yet noticed Because of what remains Because of what emerges Because the collective experience Because light might be a habit Because you don’t really see but you are really doing something else Because instead you smell, touch, sense, hear, imagine, remember, misinterpret Because it can never be totally dark anyway Because we are also praising risk Because otherwise what Because you might see the negative Because you might see more Because it’s already challenging to do a festival so let’s do it even more challenging Because we could still be together Because we can care without controlling Because we can fail to care and end up controlling Because we want to see what emerges when the lights go out Because we want to see how you perform when the lights go out Because we want to know what you think when the lights go out Because the night Because the consciousness Because the collectivity Because the context Because 2020 Because what if Because I used to be afraid of the dark Because I still leave the light on sometimes Because I want to stop Because of wondering Because of discovering Because of questioning Because are lights always necessary Because when you don’t see you still see Because not seeing is not an option Because we are all in the same boat Because you can’t just take part and leave Because it’s not like the airplane but kind of similar Because it also moves a group from one place to the other Because you are an individual Because you don’t need to be only that Because surrendering Because unfiltering Because archiving Because internalizing
Because this festival happens under the condition of darkness Because darkness is a parameter not a concept Because of what is not yet known Because of what is not yet noticed Because of what remains Because of what emerges Because the collective experience Because light might be a habit Because you don’t really see but you are really doing something else Because instead you smell, touch, sense, hear, imagine, remember, misinterpret Because it can never be totally dark anyway Because we are also praising risk Because otherwise what Because you might see the negative Because you might see more Because it’s already challenging to do a festival so let’s do it even more challenging Because we could still be together Because we can care without controlling Because we can fail to care and end up controlling Because we want to see what emerges when the lights go out Because we want to see how you perform when the lights go out Because we want to know what you think when the lights go out Because the night Because the consciousness Because the collectivity Because the context Because 2020 Because what if Because I used to be afraid of the dark Because I still leave the light on sometimes Because I want to stop Because of wondering Because of discovering Because of questioning Because are lights always necessary Because when you don’t see you still see Because not seeing is not an option Because we are all in the same boat Because you can’t just take part and leave Because it’s not like the airplane but kind of similar Because it also
Because this festival happens under the condition of darkness Because darkness is a parameter not a concept Because of what is not yet known Because of what is not yet noticed Because of what remains Because of what emerges Because the collective experience Because light might be a habit Because you don’t really see but you are really doing something else Because instead you smell, touch, sense, hear, imagine, remember, misinterpret Because it can never be totally dark anyway Because we are also praising risk Because otherwise what Because you might see the negative Because you might see more Because it’s already challenging to do a festival so let’s do it even more challenging Because we could still be together Because we can care without controlling Because we can fail to care and end up controlling Because we want to see what emerges when the lights go out Because we want to see how you perform when the lights go out Because we want to know what you think when the lights go out Because the night Because the consciousness Because the collectivity Because the context Because 2020 Because what if Because I used to be afraid of the dark Because I still leave the light on sometimes Because I want to stop Because of wondering Because of discovering Because of questioning Because are lights always necessary Because when you don’t see you still see Because not seeing is not an option Because we are all in the same boat Because you can’t just take part and leave Because it’s not like the airplane but kind of similar Because it also
Dark Festival took place in the 21st of October 2020, at the premises of ArtEZ University in Arnhem. The curators, Antrianna Moutoula, Ella Tighe, Emily Welther and Eryfili Drakopoulou, are students at the Master of Performance Practices at ArtEZ, and the artists who participated were students from various departments of the university, as well as faculty.
The curators brought together fragments of their artistic research and organized a festival which would happen under the condition of darkness. Each of the four curators has created their own version of the festival's documentation.
This website has been brought together by Eryfili Drakopoulou. The manipulation and fragmented transformation of archives, the idea of the palimpsest, the use of the negative and the inverted, are some elements of my research (Eryfili here), that I have applied to my documentation of the Dark Festival. At the same time, I wish to engage the visitor by challenging from time to time their visibility, and by now looking at darkness as something that compromises the easiness of seeing and absorbing quickly the information that appears in front of us. The darkness in this website doesn't block the sense of seeing, but challenges it.
In case you are interested in viewing the documentation of the other curators, or have any questions, please contact: E.Drakopoulou@student.ArtEZ.nl
Dark Festival took place in the 21st of October 2020, at the premises of ArtEZ University in Arnhem. The curators, Antrianna Moutoula, Ella Tighe, Emily Welther and Eryfili Drakopoulou, are students at the Master of Performance Practices at ArtEZ, and the artists who participated were students from various departments of the university, as well as faculty.
The curators brought together fragments of their artistic research and organized a festival which would happen under the condition of darkness. Each of the four curators has created their own version of the festival's documentation.
This website has been brought together by Eryfili Drakopoulou. The manipulation and fragmented transformation of archives, the idea of the palimpsest, the use of the negative and the inverted, are some elements of my research (Eryfili here), that I have applied to my documentation of the Dark Festival. At the same time, I wish to engage the visitor by challenging from time to time their visibility, and by now looking at darkness as something that compromises the easiness of seeing and absorbing quickly the information that appears in front of us. The darkness in this website doesn't block the sense of seeing, but challenges it.
In case you are interested in viewing the documentation of the other curators, or have any questions, please contact: E.Drakopoulou@student.ArtEZ.nl
The Dark Festival curatorial team would like to thank the faculty and students at the Master program, Home of Performance Practices, ArtEZ, especially Fenia Kotsopoulou and daz disley.
A big thanks to our supportive and helpful technician, Luka Halbe and our invigilators Stelios Troullakis and Gustavo Tomé Garcia.
We’d also like to thank our cohort for either performing in our dark experiment or documenting it.
Eryfili Drakopoulou
Antrianna Moutoula
Ella Tighe
Emily Welther
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