Deadline to apply: 18th August 2023
“We are looking for 15 participants (20+ years old) stemming from very diverse communities and backgrounds to bring their life experience to the table and, in an open safe space, contribute artistically to ‘Serendipity”
The first phase of Serendipity’s research will begin at ŻfinMalta Studios between 21st – 27th August as part of the AiR2023 programme.
“Through ‘Serendipity’, we are building a series of characterisation roles based on clubbing experiences and rituals. Preferably, candidates will have a keen interest in or around the clubbing community (DJ’ing, lighting, visuals) and the visual arts (performance, drawing, poetry, fashion design, activism, movement practice). Application for participation in the project should not solely revolve around curiosity on the topic but it is vital that participants bring in a story/stories which will eventually feed into the building of a clubbing ritual.”
What is ‘Serendipity’ about?
– Serendiptiy [ ser-uhn–dip–i–tee ], the word
an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
– Serendipity, the project
An accumulation of gatherings leading to a performative installation by the participants, reflecting the on the evolution of club culture (from rituals to routines). The project will focus on:
- Particular roles and the way they shift in the clubbing scene
- The level of intimacy between one another
- How different relationships have been developed throughout the years in accordance with the atmosphere, music and state of mind of every individual.
What is the aim of this project?
The aim of the project is to delve into the wide spectrum of ritualistic aspects related to the clubbing experience. We are interested in the way the clubbing culture enables humans’ connection to their surroundings and to the body. We’ll be unpacking the below in the context of the clubbing scene:
- You are the energy that you create for yourself
- You’re responsible for the energy you bring to others
- The dance floor is a space where collective energy gathers
- We influence each other throughout this temporary experience.
- How does this energy then feedback into our everyday life?
Through participants’ contribution, we would like to focus the research on the relationship/impact of the LGBTIQ+ community with/on the electronic music/clubbing scene whilst also taking into account the past, present and future development of this relationship. Queer theory would be essential in this context as through co-creation and collective research we’d like to delve into questions/topics such as: how inclusion and accessibility may have changed throughout the years in this context and how the commercialisation of the community and context has been used for capitalist purposes.
There is this pre-conceived mentality that whenever people go clubbing, their mind-set is based on getting ‘wasted’. We question further:
- What, in our everyday routine, are we releasing within this clubbing experience?
- What is pushing us away from experiencing the benefits of clubbing as a collective experience?
What is expected out of the participants?
Phase 1:
Participation in Charlene and David’s residency from 21st August to 27thAugust in ZfinMalta studios (Valletta). This will involve a minimum of two creative sessions according to participants’ availability. The mode of participation wil be tailored according to the particpants’ and the research’s needs and may include interviews, focus groups, discussions in movement research and brainstorming for howthe experimentation behind the ritual can be built together. Participants are then required to commit to participation in the sharing of research in ZfinMalta Studios on the Saturday the 26th August 2023.
Phase 2:
After the residency, the participants will be expected to meet once a month for further developing the idea and research.
Phase 3:
Participation in Charlene and David’s presentation of Serendipity in the Rosa Kwir community space between the 8th – 13th December 2023. Participants will be asked to devote sometime in this week to transforming the space (individually and collectively) towards the final performative installation of the Serendipity project. Alongside performances, the programme will involve talks and open discussions by the participants on how they created their own individual process and managed to bring them collectively into the working space, including a Q&A by the audience after the event.
Deadline to apply: 18th August 2023
