meta_FAMILY

Julia Bardsley has embarked on a new phase of research and presentation
models by creating the meta_FAMILY
project.

An ensemble of local performers is selected & undergoes a week of
‘training’ in order to become the meta_FAMILY. The idea of the Family is taken
as the thematic core, where a framework of ‘exercises’ is established that structure
the work but that allow the Family members to live & respond in the moment.

A family is a variable unit of human beings that exists in multiple
ways, with its own internal rules of operation and structuring protocols. Each
family, although unique, is based in deep-rooted archetypal roles. These
generic archetypes form the foundation of the piece. The space in which the
meta_FAMILY functions is a type of gymnasium – a site for organizing physical
& psychological behavior, a zone of instruction, workout & the
interplay of power dynamics. The intention is to modulate the conventions of
both the family & the gymnasium to create a hybrid of both.

The meta_FAMILY is a work that is always modulating, existing in
multiple editions, and being re-born in each new location, with each new group
of participating members. (Julia Bardsley)

"from the moment of birth the baby
is subjected to these forces of violence called love, as its mother and father
have been, and their parents before them. These forces are mainly concerned
with destroying most of its potentialities." (R.D.Laing from ‘Sanity, Madness
& the Family’)

Performers: Marijs
Boulogne, Senka Božič, Manca Dorrer, Tea Grahek, Olja Grubić, Tanja Sabol (the
FAMILY) and Julia Bardsley (The STEP).

Organized by: City of Women; In cooperation with: KUD
Pozitiv and DIC

Supported by: A Space for Live Art.