crip sick confused tired traumatized in pain crazy unproductive ill
exhausted unable broke(n) lost victim survivor misguided disabled
isolated;
you, me, us, them, those, we, any of us
we
are
invited
“inviting precarious perspectives” is a more accessible 2-day event by us, rampa associations. we are a working group of crip artists. we design this gathering with emphasis on access, care, and everyone’s autonomy. we encourage everyone to experiment with how they want to participate in an event in a traditional black box space but with unconventional settings; maybe horizontally? actively? more traditionally? during the event, you are invited to experience multiple different performances by artists of our group.
Are they performances?
What if
we refuse to perform
we are an international group of chronically sick artists. in this project, we’re reaching out to each other through barriers of inaccessibility and isolation. we practice collective art-making, care-taking, connecting, access-creating, and consenting, in the time of COVID19, initiated by the project facilitator-artist Isa Hukka.
come practice with us. join in experiencing glimpses of a world where our fabulously sick bodyminds are fully embraced. come along in creating a performative space where we can just be. be in a way that is needed and more relaxing for us, instead of pushing hard to meet the abled standards. you are invited as you are, with all the pain/pleasure, ache/solace, fear/ease, hopelessness/curiosity.
For a moment, maybe we can stop performing?
Producing?
Can we stop acting like it’s ok that we’re being made into products?
But what does it do if we refuse to perform?
idk,
can we at least try?
(dreaming is mandatory)
in our first project together at Baltic Circle, we start off with questioning the systematic demands of productivity and performing. each artist seeking for their own perspective, we create a performance-event of contradictory voices.
What if
we refuse to perform perform perform?
What if
we invite you to rehearse instead?
Wait, maybe practice is a better word?
Yeah. We invite you to practice.
throughout the event, the audience can explore together with us what crip, sick art practices could be. particularly crip, sick, disabled, and other people, who are often left out of art and community events, are warmly welcome to participate.
We’re practicing too,
we’re in this mess too.
How to get out of it?
And what is the alternative?
crip sick krympling krøbling lámis rampa associations is one of the artistic working groups of a 4-year Coming Stage initiative by Baltic Circle and Kone Foundation. In Coming Stage, different working groups seek to make stages more diverse and establish more sustainable practices in the field of performance art. The project’s artists question norms related to the body, ability, language or experience, and work in dialogue-based collaboration with Baltic Circle.
How does one produce when unwillingly deemed unproductive?
How to try try try when surrounded by an impossible grind?
How to stop when the bodymind says no?
How to imagine the alternatives?
How to co-exist, to cooperate
How to be able to work
How to find a solace
How to make art
How to take care
How to speak out
How to take part in change
(dreaming is still mandatory)
Isa Hukka is a writer, performing artist and student whose own bed is a sacred place for them. They are based in Helsinki, although parts of them always live in Pohjois-Pohjanmaa, Copenhagen and Montréal/Tiohti:áke. In addition to participating in local crip organizing and making performances in Helsinki, they have worked with translating, and various magazines have also published their award-winning queer crip poetry. In facilitating the rampa associations group, they are exploring trauma-informed approaches. In the future, Hukka wants to continue on cripping language and dance, and creating radical access & care together.
Aku Meriläinen (they/he) is a media artist who develops practices beyond the normative expectations in works that integrate digital technologies and performing arts.
At the moment they are interested in combining artistic processes with new technologies to identify discriminatory cultural features from the crip perspective.
In their most recent project Crip Sex Worker (@Nakurampa on Instagram) they have started to do online sex work as a non-binary person that lives with Multiple Sclerosis. The project aims to challenge the dominant male gaze in porn from a queer and anti-ableist perspective and to diverse the ways disability is perceived. Crip Sex Worker is a collaboration with photographer Tuisku Lehto.
Sunna Maaret (she/they) – or as they would introduce themself in the Sámi way – Niillasaš-Jovnna Máreha Juhani Sunná Máret – is a Sámi and Finnish audiovisual artist and storyteller, born and raised in Anár, Sápmi. Using film, discussion, music and memes as their tools, Sunna Maaret explores different ways of participating in building more livable communities through art.
Under the dj name Sunna Maaret, she experiments the possibilities of dj sets to center rest, coexistence and daydreaming as a pushback to capitalist, ableist hyperproductivity. In the recent times they’ve been working on a audiovisual dj set / art installation ‘ASAP ~ As Slowly As Possible’ that strives for holding space for a tomorrow where land and all living beings are not treated as endless resources.
Ar Utke Ács (name in process) is an artist working with contemporary dance and expanded choreography. They engage with the poetics and politics of bodies through queer and crip strategies in the seams between performance, dramaturgy, encounters, text, embroidery and installation. Ács produces their own work, takes part in collaborations and organizes collectively, amongst other as a part of the queer art club collective fake daughter, höjden studios in Stockholm and Dance Cooperative in Copenhagen. They currently commit to their art practice as a way to enhance kinship and ‘temporary autonomous zones’ with revolt, ethics and aesthetics as an antidote to anesthetics and rising fascism – sometimes from bed, other times through protests.
Hang Linton is a self-taught, interdisciplinary artist, working in public art, music, performance, dance, video & installation. Their personal practice explores otherness, activism & alternative methods of care through sound, non-linear time concepts & community. Hang’s work is a rebellion against clean aesthetics & working underneath capitalist structures which demand high output. They are currently interested in using audio-visual installations to disrupt white cube spaces, exploring how care & accessibility can be prioritised in these environments.
Laura Lulika is an artist working and living through queer crip sick and neurodivergent strategies of survival. Using video, sound, writing and performance, their practice explores care, sexuality, labour, sickness, dirt and performativity in the everyday: Their work is driven by the rhythms, movement, and rituals within daily activity. Lulika often collaborates with others, looking at accessibility from various perspectives and striving to work in interdependent formats which reflect the care needs of everyone involved.
Active in local irl community, as well as url community support groups, Lulika recently became a non-executive director of East Leeds Project. Lulika is currently doing an Arts Council England funded DYCP research project called, The Trogs. The project records the history of a little-known group of cave dwellers from their hometown and celebrates rural counterculture and folklore.
Sal Reis Trouxa is a plant-based chef working with sustainability, zero-waste and fermentation. They have a special interest in the politics and social aspects around food and culture. Growing up in a self-sustaining community made by their grandparents in rural Portugal, Sal’s roots continuously inspire them to work with food both as a need and as a point of connection and togetherness. In their recent projects they have collaborated within artistic contexts and during the process of ‘Precarious Perspectives’, Sal will contribute as a caregiver and chef for both the working group and the guests.
inviting precarious perspectives -performative event was a collective effort by
the rampa associations artistic working group, consisting of facilitator-artist Isa Hukka and artists Aku Meriläinen, Ar Utke Ács, Hang Linton, Laura Lulika, Sal Reis Trouxa, Sunna Maaret,
and
artists Tuisku Lehto and Trashi,
lighting designer Rita Löytty,
live streaming director Visa Kiikka and assistant Ville-Matti Tenovirta,
caregiver Margot Litchfield.
We also want to thank
Emma Ainala and Ellie English whose works of art were displayed in the performance space,
and Martta Jylhä and Joel Karppanen for accommodation.
Baltic Circle staff:
artistic director Hanna Parry,
managing director Asta Teräväinen,
project producer Nóri Varga,
communications specialist Emmi Linnankivi,
communications intern Riina Niemi,
production intern and volunteer coordinator Iva Matiyas,
production intern Jade Roberts,
production intern Margareeta Lauronen,
technical producer Lauri Myllylahti,
runner Kryštof Kučera,
volunteers Yu Yue, Iiris Miettinen, Remi Vesala, Rauna Lilja, Heta Nikula, Anastasiia Lapteva, Mixu Koski, Mika Hyvärinen,
and thank you Kiia Beilinson and Sanna Ritvanen for providing props.
Viirus theatre staff:
artistic director / managing director Jussi Sorjanen,
executive producer Mirkka Maikola,
executive producer Hanna Sundman,
administrative coordinator Sofie Gammals,
technical manager Atte Pukero,
technician Laura Siironen,
technician Noora Pietilä,
head of marketing Elis Hennel,
bar staff members Lisa Rönnberg, Karolina Lång, Elin Symes, and Rebecka Nylund.
The performance was part of Viirus GUEST program.
This performance was made possible by Baltic Circle’s multi-year project, Coming Stage, funded by Kone Foundation.