Artist curator peer to peer gifting at Puka- Head over Heals

Practice based shared processes at Head over Heals

Live skype connection with Nick Bryson, contemporary dancer/choreographer and curator IRE
during dinner gathering, Russell Brown and Rowen Gillis 

Estonian dancer Heli Kohv gives a demonstration of folk dance

Evelyn Griznich leads us through a weaving in the forest process

and then we unweave what we have created...

Sven Eric Stamberg introduces Vedelik's printed edition with Michal Walsh and Marge Laast

Erki Kasemets, Russell Brown, Kaarina and Michael Walsh

Tanel Rander, John Griznich, Jaan Ulst, Evelyn Griznich, 

Russell Brown bringing us on a walking presentation

Sven Erik, Kaarina and Jaan participating in Russells participatory presentation

Participants in Head over Heals, artist curator peer to peer gifting

Participants in Head over Heals, artist curator peer to peer gifting

Irish, Baltic and Nordic States:

Sven Erik Stamberg, Marge Laast and Erki Kasemets, artist curators, members of Vedelik, Tallinn, EE

Russell Browne, traditional Irish dancer, vogue and trapise artist, US/IRE

Jaan Ulst, folk and contemporary dance artist, choreographer and curator, EE

Nick and Signe Bryson, IRE and LV (Skype connection)

Rowan Geddis, UK,  based in Stockholm, Sweden

Evelyn and John Grizinich, MoKS, artists and arts organisers, MoKS, Mooste, Estonia 

Kaarina , Huuto gallery, Helsinki, Finland

Tanel Rander, artist and curator, EE

Signe Pucene, SERDE, Latvia, will arrive for the weekend before the event and start the research sharing then..

Host: 

Michael Walsh, graphic designer/photographer, IRE/EE

Curator:

Maria Kerin, IRE

Others interested via internet connection:  Helle Kvamme, Yellow Box, Oland, Sweden

Trudi Van der Elsen, Clare, Ireland

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Russell Brown and Michael Walsh were intrinsic to the formation of Head over Heals and helped develop the schedule with insigthful contribution from Signe Pucena, artist curator at SERDE, Latvia.

Signe Pucena curator of SERDE, Latvia, here with daughter Trine, came the weekend before the event to start the gifting process with a focused walk in the forests picking mushrooms and herbs and preparing a meal

Signe finds herbs from the land to prepare a tea mix for the group to inspire us!

Signe Pucena and Trine have a time for reflection in Puka on the raft.

Drawing our way into the weekend structure, Michael Walsh, Russell Brown and Maria taking photo

Visualising the forthcoming weekend, Michael Walsh with Russell Brown

Researching a new artist led curatorial process for peer to peer sharing through gifting

Long afternoons were spent in MoKS researching approaches to arts based organisations and dialogue that stems from arts practice methods. I focused on the authentic, integrated organisational structure defined by:

Frederic Laloux in 'Reinventing Organisations', 
the essay ‘On Dialogue’ by Dr David Bohn,  
and a book that actually just jumped off the shelf at me here at MoKs,  
'The Gift' by Lewis Hyde.

Out of this specific research evolved the structure for an event entitled 
Head over Heals, a gathering of 15 interdisciplinary artist curators, artist organisers and artist programmers from the Irish Nordic Baltic States interested in creatively exploring the possibilities of sharing through gifting. 

All these artists curators I had worked with before and knew their methodology so I proposed that we met for a weekend of arts practice sharing, co-hosted by Irish graphic designer and photographer, Michael Walsh, in a cabin by a forest in Puka, Estonia, 26-27th August 2017.

(Over the past 20 years, I have met many artists who have become curators of their own practice and for others, to meet their own creative needs of autonomy and freedom as well as site specific and artistic needs, (as reflected in my own interdisciplinary arts practice). Such artist curators often work in isolation and outside institutions with little support and community. Sensing that a supportive, sharing community could exist within this arts practice from my experience of working with you all, I invited them to help create  RAFT. )

Funding yet to be received. Intentions are to gather, offer and see where this sharing and gifting leads...) 

The Curatorial Format for the weekend: 

Head over Heals

a gathering of interdisciplinary artist organisers and artist curators from the Irish Nordic Baltic States interested in creatively exploring the possibilities of peer to peer sharing and gifting through arts practice processes

with a view to forming RAFT, an arts practice community

Saturday afternoon, 26th to Sunday afternoon, 27th August 2017 

So come be head over heals with us and explore, play, talk, laugh, share, gift and create.

here at Sacred Oak Hill, Puka, Valgamaa, Estonia

Saturday afternoon, 26th to Sunday afternoon, 27th August 2017 

Conversations and mentoring with Russell Brown

Russell Brown, American Irish award-winning traditional Irish dancer, trapese artist and Vogue teacher joined me in MoKS for a week at the end of August 2017 and we spent some time researching embodied arts practice processes. I had the privilige of watching him rehearse for his PhD arts practice first performance and give some feedback, basing my mentoring on awareness of presence and visual/spatial sensitivity. Always thought and senses provoking conversations with Russell around topics such as artists as curators and to how we can be more present in our performances.

Curatorial Research Residency at MoKS, Mooste, Estonia

Curatorial Research Residency, MoKS, Mooste, Estonia. June 2017 and again August 2017.

My 6th year coming to MoKS; a vital artists led arts residency centre, leading the way as the heart of cutting edge contemporary practice and creativity in the Baltics, run by the talented generous artists Evelyn and John Griznich.
I was in MoKS to research "Head over Heals"and prepare for an Irish Nordic Baltic "artist curator" 2 day gathering in Puka at the end of August with gifting of practice as the meeting points between us. 15 coming from 5 countries...

With wonderful studio spaces and a large public sharing space with wooden floors, I offered daily morning movement based practice with the other artists residents there through an embodied creativity process suitable for artists of any discipline,  that I have been developing for the past 12 years

MoKS is such a meeting point for Nordic Baltic creators with inspirational and informative dinner time conversations, this time with Estonian actors, Finnish screen dance artists and radical performance artists from Macedonia who are mentioned in the book Critical Art in Contemporary Macedonia.

Ongoing research into oils and plants to connect me to Estonian land
(but mainly to deter mosquitos!)

MoKS reserach seat

MoKS entrance

The delights of bird watching in MoKS

View from my studio