White Vinegar (each day from 2pm & 4pm)
Lancaster Arts invites you to a four day online workshop exploring what it means to clean, and to be clean in a post pandemic world.
The White Vinegar Workshop revolves around a quote from leading New York Artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles; “After the revolution, who’s going to pick up the garbage on Monday morning?” We are inviting applications from artists, cleaners, writers, activists and others to observe and interrogate the iconic act of cleaning, revealing this as a sociopolitical action through performance art and self documentation.
This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in performance as a medium of expression to explore social and political issues, and more importantly with a keen interest in exploring ways of making Live Art.
Location
Your window. This aperture in a wall/roof/door has been
a crucial site within the lockdown experience, becoming a socio-political frame. The window has been a vital link and connection to the outside, as well as a communication display — a place to keep people’s voices and presence alive in the neighbourhood. In line with this, the workshops are taking place online with the computer screen constituting another window.
Participants
This DIY is open to all art practitioners, writers, activists,
and others who are interested in performance as a medium of socio-political manifestation, and more importantly, have
a keen interest in exploring ways of making Live Art. Each participant will be supported with up to £60 for material expenses. All participants should be willing to engage in open conversations.
Project summary
Who is cleaning today? What are we cleaning? What are the aesthetics of cleanliness? What does cleaning mean for our physical and mental health, on a personal and social level?
To be clean, uncontaminated or disinfected has been an aim globally in order to fight the spread of Covid-19, so, what does it mean to be clean in a post-pandemic world?
We will start from the premise that we need to clean our filters to be able to see outside. After exploring the different connotations – metaphorical and literal – of cleanliness,we will each focus on our own ‘window’ as a site-specific framework. We will examine the materiality of the site; lighting, sound, location, time, weather and view, and this will act as a canvas. Finally, each participant will respond to a brief developed through the workshop to perform #cleanyourwindow.
The workshop will take place over four days through online meetings, comprising two hours each afternoon. The first two days will start with research-led interrogations; we are going to explore the themes outlined above through artworks and texts that reference cleaning as a performative action. We will then enter into a joint discussion about personal experiences of cleaning, and the final two days will be practice-based, using site-specific performance to produce a documented outcome for each participant.



How to Apply
If you would like to participate, please complete this short application form which asks the following questions:
- Name and pronouns
- Contact details (email)
- Where are you based?
- Short statement about your practice Link to your website/social media Please give a short statement about your artistic practice and/or personal experience with cleaning (memories, routine, tools etc.)
- Why would you like to participate? How will this benefit you?
Applications can be accepted in video format, or get in touch if you would like to discuss an alternative.
Application Deadlines
- Midnight Sunday 13 September 2020
- Notification to the applicants: Friday 18 Sept 2020
The artist
As part of the Live Art development Agency’s national DIY programme, Jose Garcia Oliva has been commissioned to deliver this one-off creative development opportunity.
Jose Garcia Oliva is a Venezuelan-Spanish artist based
in London. His practice navigates the collision of identity, place and labour — the state of in-between-ness (nepantla). His practice is research-led and situated, taking the form of participatory performance, installation and drawing.
He has worked in an interdisciplinary and collaborative scheme for participatory art projects, public interventions, teaching
and organising workshops, working alongside with Fussée de détresse, Brussels; Arlington House, London; RCA Summer Courses; Seven Sister Market; Justice4Grenfell and so on. He is currently working on an ongoing project commissioned by The Cleaners & Allied Independent Workers Union (CAIWU). More info: josegarciaoliva.com
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