earth, works-in-process
Updated: Jun 25, 2020
The Joy Offensive presents
earth, works-in-process
The Joy Offensive is proud to announce the re-launch of its in-development series, earth ocean ancestors. The first instalment, earth, will include 6 works-in-process by artists based in Australia and the UK. The works - taking place on WhatsApp, Zoom, Instagram, interactive web pages, and email inboxes - will be exploring diverse modes of interaction, collaboration, and interconnectivity in an era of reinforced borders and social distancing.
The artists participating in earth 2020 include one-to-watch theatre maker Nicole Pingon (AUS), actor/writer/performance maker Vera Chok (UK), multi-disciplinary artist Katherine Lim (AUS), Artistic Director of Papergang Theatre Clarissa Widya (UK), London-based theatre director Robert Awosusi (UK), writer/performer of the critically-acclaimed Fuck You Pay Me Joana Nastari (UK), and Sydney-based theatre maker, Jules Orcullo (AUS).
In the coming months, audiences will be invited to listen to two strangers, Nicole Pingon and Vera Chok, connecting across distance and time difference, in a work titled Today (and every other day for the past little while). Sydney-based theatre maker and performer, Nicole Pingon, has been deep in process in her new collaboration with London-based artist, Vera Chok:
“This project has allowed me to engage in a ritual of connecting, listening and sharing during these uncertain times. Vera and I’s daily exchange has manifested into an intimate connection that I look forward to every day.”
Artist and non-profit worker, Katherine Lim, will be curating a Book Club of a different kind. Lim will be generating visual responses to longform conversations with friends and family about texts of significance in their lives and newly discovered favourites.
According to Lim, “This artwork is an exploration of using enforced downtime as a time for living, conversing, sharing and creating with more intentionally and depth than we would be able to maintain otherwise. It’s a way to use the online space as a destination to explore - and connect with people across boundaries and borders.”
Clarissa Widya’s work-in-process, Roar, explores the role of laughter and resilience through the writing of daily short form poetry. Widya recently closed a sell-out season of Freedom Hi 自由閪 at London’s Vault Festival which exploded the chaotic and fractured lived experiences of Hong Kong protesters in their fight for freedom. Roar, in contrast, aims to use the lightest of touches - a small WhatsApp performance space - in its quest for resilience during the global pandemic.
Those looking ahead to a post-COVID future should watch out for Robert Awosusi’s participatory performance Coronaville Delivery Service. Participation is open to anyone globally who identifies as Black, Indigenous, Asian and/or people of colour. Your instructions are now available for one week only on thejoyoffensive.com, so begin building a vision for the future post-pandemic today.
Writers from around the globe can also look out for an intercontinental writers’ space led by Brazilian British writer-performer, Joana Nastari. In Holding space with words and silence across borders and the digisphere, Nastari and six randomly selected people from six different countries will congregate online for an hour’s writing ritual.
Theatre maker Jules Orcullo will be trialling a live reality dating format for the COVID era called Please Date My Friend. A team of Orcullo’s friends from across the globe will be looking for one person from their home cities willing to agree to a live-streamed 15 minute Zoom date with Jules. The work hopes to explore the vagaries of identity and friendships as refracted through distances of time and place. But it should also be an evening of fun, laughter, and characteristic awkwardness.
“I’ve made work about dating and intimacy before, but this live hot seat is one of the scariest vice grips I’ve put myself into as an artist,” says Orcullo, “That said, growing this circle of diaspora artists across continents has been so nourishing. Knowing there’s a world of advice and support just a text message away makes me feel less terrified about the prospect of live streaming a few first dates and, I guess, way less terrified about the future of the world in general.”
Livestreams, workshops, websites, and WhatsApp groups will be launched from 5 June. More information on the works can be found on thejoyoffensive.com or @thejoyoffensive on Facebook and Twitter.
As part of the earth ocean ancestors development series, each artist is provided a micro-seed honorarium thanks to Patreons of The Joy Offensive. Audiences and participants are encouraged to become a Patreon of The Joy Offensive, with any new or increased contributions in June, July, and August to be split evenly between lead artists. earth will be followed by 2 more rounds of development titled ocean and ancestors providing further opportunities for artists to continue their process or begin developing new collaborations.
The Joy Offensive is an intercontinental performance platform led by theatre maker and producer, Jules Orcullo. Jules Orcullo is currently a Creative Live/Work Tenant through Brand X and the City of Sydney and Administration Co-ordinator at Contemporary Asian Australian Performance. Jules lives and works on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and the work of The Joy Offensive pays deep respect to their elders, and the elders of all unceded lands on which our artists live, work, and play.
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Media enquiries:
Jules Orcullo, The Joy Offensive
jules@thejoyoffensive.com
Artwork by Katherine Lim