LIVE ART FOR/ WITH YOUNG PEOPLE Emma Nutland, 26 January 2014 Hopefully a full report will follow but I am currently against the clock to catch a train so here is the top ten learning points from the session! In no particular order! 1.) Live art is happening for and with children and young people but not necessarily under that title. Its participatory performance or immersive experiences etc. Is it too ‘sexy’ to be calling some work live art?! 2.) Companies like Junction 25 in Glasgow have agency over their work; in contrast to some companies which it may be an adults perception of childhood. How much agency do the teenagers in (http://www.ontroerendgoed.be/en/projecten/once-and-for-all/) Ontroerend goed’s piece have over their words and actions? Unleashed at the Barbican was a reference point of a large-scale piece with young people but it lacked a legacy for the performers. How can artists ensure exit strategies for their projects with young people? 3.) Live art for younger audiences in happening more organically over in parts of Europe. Challenging pieces with risk and investment. Are we too invested in safeguarding against risk? 4.) There is a huge range of possibilities for live art for children under the age of 5’s. Sensory, non-linear… there is probably a lot of performance art existing that is accessible to a lot wider audience. 5.) Companies like Mammalian Diving Reflex and their piece Haircuts by Children. Shifting the power between adults and children and challenging living in Adultism society. Where the majority of rules and experiences are built for children as ‘Adults in Training’ How can performance outwith the traditional constructs of children’s theatre start to revolt against this? 6.) Where to find live artists interested in making their work open to young audiences. Starting conversations about live art and it’s history as part of the curriculum and in Fine Art and performance degrees. 7.) How can we reach teenagers and bridge gaps to adult festivals etc? Could live art enable difficult conversations about sexuality, gender, and ethnicity? Is it important for children to see bodies, and experience touch during their childhood before everything in their field of reference becomes about sexualised bodies? 8.) Theatre companies such as Punchdrunk have a progressive and exciting enrichment programme happening in schools that could potentially come under the umbrella of live art. Aby Conway Home Sweet Home – touring to schools 9.) We need to deal with the LIVE element of art with young people, keep connecting people. Experimentation and Play. Creative exchanges. Touch and play is so important! Celebrating what it is to be 7 when you are 7 years old! 10.) How to sustain artists working with young people and nurture and encourage new relationships. Summer schools are happening but not very well known. Many thanks to all that attended! [email protected] Tags: theatre for young people, young people, Live Art, Young People, Children, children, teenagers, live art