2007/10 - Testing Grounds

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

PERMANENT GALLERY

PUBLIC EVENT: 30th January 7pm / £4

Commissionned Artists: Mim King, Got any Rice, Sylvia Rimat, Anne Gaelle Thiriot.

Myth is not defined by the object of its message, but by the way in which it utters this message: there are formal limits, there are no ‘substantial’ ones.” Roland Barthes, Myth Today.

Performance: christina Jensen

The works in this event could each be defined for a large part as construction of mythology, a construction of basic tropes in stories- as Barthes suggested, the human mind endlessly creates stories to process and interpret the world. The constructed narratives for Testing Grounds propose a fictionalised reality of the world, through different approaches: autobiographic elements; anatomic and sound examination of a town from an outside stance; stories that reflect an ambiguous presence somewhere between text and reality; and finally the re-exploration of fairy tales and folk tales in order to create a bridge between narrative and abstract features of live performances.

This event is organized in partnership with Permanent Gallery and is the 4th edition of a series of 6 events to be produced in the South East of England. Testing Grounds is financially assisted by the Arts Council England South East.

Testing Grounds – 29 August – A Space

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

TG6_TheCoolness

7pm Saturday 29th August 2009

Bargate Monument Gallery, High Street, Southamton, UK

Testing Grounds is a Live Art and Music event. Artists are invited to make new work, experimenting with new ideas and projects, rather than reproducing a set performance. Testing Grounds is an experimental meeting place for artists, audiences and ideas and aims to be an environment supportive of artistic risk.

This edition will feature a very eclectic mix of works, yet each occupies its own self defining ‘testing ground’, a space where ideas can be pushed beyond limits, emotions felt and attitudes re-questioned.

Each work has been selected for its capacity to twist meaning and expectation through the process of being performed. We hope that through the 6 new and exciting performances, spanning from ceramicist Keith Harrison to East London band The Coolness, the audience will appreciate the diverse artistic attitudes and approaches to finding a space for exploration, and will take the opportunity to reflect, discuss the works and socialize with each other and with the artists.

Free Event But Booking Is Essential. Contact: info@aspacearts.org.uk / 02380 338 778

(more…)

STOP PRESS! – Participation Sought from TESTING GROUNDS Audience

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Two of the artists for the next Testing Grounds on Sat 18 July seek collaborators… (more…)

Testing Grounds – 18 July

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Testing Grounds at Permanent Gallery

Saturday 18 July
7pm (map)
£4/3 Concessions

“The fate of thought depends and will depend for a long time between regret and assay“. Jean-Francois Lyotard, What is post-modernism? 1982

Permanent Gallery hosts Testing Grounds, a Live Art or Music event where artists are invited to make new work, rather than reproducing a set performance. Testing Grounds is an experimental meeting place for artists, audiences and ideas and aims to be an environment supportive of artistic risk.

This edition invites 4 artists from the UK and abroad proposing to explore the dislocation between text and image, focusing on structural fragmentation.
Sian Robinson Davies (Nottingham) creates subtle and humorous constructions of different narratives which translate formal spatial arrangements into language. David Berridge (London) will adapt texts from Kafka’s notebooks into musical and visual choral pieces. In his improvised music piece, Phillip Henderson (Nottingham/Farnham) will question “vertical temporality” with an electric harmonium, metal detector and improvised arhythm on drum kit.
Also showcased is a new performance by Catalan artist Joan Casellas (Barcelona). Joan Casellas has been performing extensively worldwide since the 1990s as an outstanding representative of the Spanish parallel art scene. This will be Casellas’ first UK appearance since 1994, when The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), London, organised an exhibition documenting his performances and interventions.
The event promises to be a stimulating and playful selection of works for the imagination. (more…)

TESTING GROUNDS – OPEN CALL – Deadline: NOW OPEN

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

TESTING GROUNDS, LIVE ART & MUSIC: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Testing Grounds is now accepting applications from artists for South Hill Park (Bracknell).

Testing Grounds is a performance platform and development programme for artists actively exploring Live Art or Music. Testing Grounds is an experimental meeting place for artists, audiences and ideas and aims to be an environment supportive of artistic risk.

Applicants must commit to develop and present a new piece of work, or take past work in a new direction. Testing Grounds aims to be a supportive opportunity to test new ideas rather than reproducing a set performance.

We offer a fee and production support.

The event at South Hill Park is happening on the 31st of October.

The deadline to apply is on the 13th of July. Please note that for this event we are looking for proposed new works with a strong crossover between Live Art and music or sound, in form, in content, in context, or structure. Contact nadegederderian@hotmail.com for more information, or download the application and information pack here: TG SouthHillPark application pack 2009

GO TO TESTING GROUNDS MICROSITE

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TESTING GROUNDS – 6th SEPTEMBER 2008

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

ARTISTS: Jamie Wyld, Becky Bowley, Micheál O’Connell, Bela Emerson, Verity Combe.
Curated by Nadege Derderian

Free, 7pm onwards

Sara Popowa, Testing Grounds May 2008, Photo Rupert Noble

Testing Grounds is a quarterly programme of Live Art, Performance Art, Sound art and Music and the event has two main focuses. The event provides a platform for the artists to experiment with new ideas and projects, focusing on the contextualization of their work and to take a risk, reaching for that idea that is currently just on the edge of their horizon, rather than reproducing a set performance.

Testing Grounds also provides the audience with a wide variety of works by presenting an eclectic programme, and to alternate genres/disciplines, as well as embodying diverse artistic attitudes and approaches.

TESTING GROUNDS, 17-18 MAY 2008

Monday, May 5th, 2008

Big Dance, Beth Greenhalgh

LIVE ART AND MUSIC FESTIVAL PERMANENT GALLERY

SATURDAY 17TH OF MAY FROM 6PM

SUNDAY 18TH OF MAY FROM 2PM

Permanent Gallery invited 15 artists and musicians to make a performance at the next Testing Grounds event.
Testing Grounds is a quarterly programme of Live Art, Performance Art, Sound art and Music and will run this time over two days, the Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th of May. Testing Grounds has two main focuses. The event provides a platform for the artists to experiment with new ideas and projects, focusing on the contextualization of their work and to take a risk, reaching for that idea that is currently just on the edge of their horizon, rather than reproducing a set performance. The event also provides the audience with a wide variety of works by presenting an eclectic programme, and to alternate genres/disciplines, as well as embodying diverse artistic attitudes and approaches.

ARTISTS : Beth Greenhalgh, Samuel Hasler, Seth Kriebel, Birdengine, Ricky Leach, Taylan Halici, Alex Coxall, Pablo Perezzarate, Zoe Bouras, Adam Fearon, Sara Popova, Michail Mavaronas, Salma Nathoo, Rufus Osborne, Fry-
Curated by Nadege Derderian

PERMANENT GALLERY
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