Ewa Rybska & Wladyslaw Kazmierczak
The phenomenon of “iconism” in performance art causes negative consequences for contemporary live works. Depending on how we date and define the beginnings of performance art, the circle of iconic figures becomes more and more reduced and closed. Scholarly efforts to critique and document performance art concentrate on a relatively short period of performance art, between 1968 – 1972 making this such an important reference point that it potentially eliminates later achievements. As the next generation of non-iconic performers we will try to address this problem through action using irony and humour.

We will explore an iconic performance by Ulay / Abramovic, “Rest Energy” (1980), whereby the artists publicly demonstrate their trust in each other. Abramovic holds a bow, whilst Ulay aims the arrow in the string at her heart. We will try to find our own position as duo performers in the context of the most famous iconic duo, Ulay & Abramovic (with a little help of Emmanuel Kant philosophy).

Ewa Rybska & Wladyslaw Kazmierczak have performed over 150 performances in Slovakia, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Belarus, Ireland, Slovenia, Mexico, Indonesia, Canada, Korea, France, USA, Israel, Finland, Estonia, Spain, Great Britain, Sweden, China and Poland. They currently live and work in the UK.

Links: Ewa Rybska & Wladyslaw Kazmierczak

Jules Dorey Richmond & David Richmond
Jules and David have been working and living with each other for 25 years. They are concerned with braiding their practice of theatre and fine art to make work, to make it work, to understand the world they live in. They have a problem – they have not become who they thought they would be. So who are they? Why are they here? What will they do?
Things will have to change, it can't go on like this, they will have to make a stand...they have no choice but to become terrorists of the heart.

Jules Dorey Richmond & David Richmond have presented work nationally and internationally and have been funded by the Scottish Arts Council and Glasgow City Council and obtained commissions from Mayfest & CCA, as well as receiving support in kind from the British Council.

Links: Jules Dorey Richmond & David Richmond

Compass Live Art
From West to North to South to East and Back is a series of six performance art events taking place between November 2010 and June 2011 led by East Street Arts and curated in collaboration with Compass Associates: O U I Performance (York), Red Gallery (Hull), Bloc Projects (Sheffield)

Compass is an 18 month project to further develop Live Art in Yorkshire. It is led by a consortium made up of East Street Arts, Sarah Spanton / Waymarking and Annie Lloyd. The aim is to strengthen and sustain the ambitions, diversity and vitality of the art form through: infrastructure development between practitioners, programmers and Education Institutions; a unique series of programming initiatives linking venues, practitioners, current and new audiences; professional development workshops; a weekend symposium and accompanying festival. This framework will provide the basis for researching a longer term vision for the sector to work towards over the next five years.

Link: Compass Live Art Website

All Photographs courtesy of Jonathan Turner

Acknowledgments
Jo and Staff at Space 109 Walmgate, Judit Bodor and Karen Watson at East Street Arts, Jo Nancarrow, Becky Bowley at Bloc Projects, Richard Lawrence and Brendan Gamble at York St John University, Mark & Claire Greenwood & Christopher Mollon, and Jonathan Turner.

Press
April 2011: Malgorzata Kazmierczak interviews Wladyslaw Kazmierczak about recent work with Ewa Rybska - Including The Transcendental Deduction / Trust at O U I Performance #3 is available now at The Living Gallery.

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