Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, and Two Destination Language pave the way for creative residences in the age of Covid-19 with time to respond, a digital residency running from Monday 15 – Saturday 20 February 2021.
Dance Base Scotland alongside award-winning Scotland-based performance makers Two Destination Language explore a new way to run and share creative residencies in the age of Covid-19 with time to respond. Since March 2020, the Dance Base doors have largely been closed and the studios quiet, but from 15 – 20 February 2021, the digital residency will allow seven artists and their collaborators from across Scotland to come together, if not physically in the space, but noisily from their own. time to respond welcomes artists to create new work, play with ideas and reconnect with each other and their audiences after an extremely challenging year.
The artists participating in this week-long residency will include: Glasgow-based performance maker Jian Yi; actor, performance artist, writer and comedian Laura Paterson; mother and daughter writing and performance-making team Lindsay Oliver & Fiona Oliver-Larkin; dance artist and choreographer Lucy Suggate; installation artist Mark Bleakley; dance/performance artist Suzi Cunningham; and New Zealand born, Edinburgh-based choreographer, dancer and teacher Tamsyn Russell.
time to respond will be curated by Katherina Radeva and Alister Lownie of Two Destination Language. With a portfolio including award-winning performance, exhibition, installation, film and print publication work, Katherina and Alister have spent much of the 2020-21 lockdowns exploring new ways to bring artists together under the new conditions imposed by Covid-19.
Katherina said “We are no longer interested in focussing on the way social distancing rules limit us – we are excited to explore the many ways in which digital residencies can enhance and expand creative possibilities for artists.”
Rooted in this idea, the digital format of time to respond looks to achieve a broader, and more creatively satisfying experience for all the artists involved. With each artist able to work in their own space, artists like Lindsay Oliver – who cannot leave her home due to chronic illness – will be able to fully share in conversation and collaboration without compromising her safety. In addition, time to respond will provide space for audiences to engage with and follow the residency in a way that they would not be able to during a face-to-face residency.
Throughout the residency week, and later in February, each artist will share moments of their practice and creative collaborations with audiences. Dance Base will also share these work-in-progress snippets and musings on their social media channels and website daily, as well as building a full archive of sharings from the week for audiences to explore into the future. This is a reminder that artists coming together is a vital part of their practice and their role commenting on and examining the world we live in.
Morag Deyes, Artistic Director at Dance Base, said “we are so excited to reconnect with our community of artists – supporting and encouraging them to create and to share this with audiences. Myself and our Artist Advisory Group were delighted at the sense of community that Two Destination Language proposed to bring to their residency.”
time to respond is one of the many and varied artists commissions Dance Base has been proud to initiate thanks to support from Creative Scotland with funding from Scottish Government via the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund – essential support for the sector which aims to reconnect artists, audiences and venues after this time of separation.
The time to respond digital residency will run from Monday 15 – Saturday 20 February 2021 with updates and opportunities to engage throughout the week via Dance Base social media channels. More information is available on the Dance Base website.
