Per/Platform 2021 - Open Call for performance

1a space is inviting artists from all disciplines within the field of contemporary art to submit performance art

projects for the first edition of the live art festival Per/Platform taking place in the historical building of Cattle Depot Artist Village between July and August 2021. Co-curated by Juliana Chan and Florence Lam, the festival will host a dynamic programme of performances featuring both experienced performance artists and young artists, who are interested in exploring the practice. Successful applicants will be given artists honorarium and material fees, as well as guidance from established performance artists.

In performance art, "art" is embodied within the people, and the people are embodiments, products, and responses to their surroundings. It is manifested by one's actions. The fundamental materials of a performance artist consist of one's very own body; one's presence; space, where the body can be; and time, which enables the longevity and the ephemerality of the artwork itself, the element of being "live". Thus, at the occasion of Per/Platform, we seek to learn together how to be human, and to express and develop it in the realm of art.

For 2021 we invite artists to explore different ways of interpreting Light and express through performance how they understand light. In its most basic form, light is a form of energy. It is white and iridescent. It has been seen as the symbol of life and intellectual enlightenment. In ancient Chinese pictography, the character Light is represented by a kneeling person lifting a fire bowl. Some people believe it is a slave lifting the fire for the master while others think it depicts a scene of pyromancy, an art of divination by fire. While the meaning of the image remains a dispute, in both interpretations light originates from a body in action. Similarly, the definition of performance art is based on the temporal and physical co-presence of the performer’s body to convey meaning.

Application Process

- The open call is aimed at young and emerging artists aged 18 and above who are living and working in Hong Kong. We welcome artists working in the field of contemporary art with any disciplinary backgrounds who are interested in performance art.

- To apply, please send the following documents in one PDF file within 10 pages and no larger than 10 MB in total to info@oneaspace.org.hk

- An artist statement which provides an overview of the applicant’s artistic practice

- CV and portfolio of the of the applicant.

- Performance proposal of max 500 words in English or 800 words in Chinese. The proposal should include supported visual material of the performance, video links (if any), estimated duration of the performance and technical requirement.

- Each artist is able to submit one proposal only. The application deadline is Sunday, 23 May 2021, 7pm.

Selection Process

Submissions are evaluated by a committee that includes representatives of 1a space and experts from the contemporary art field. Applications are evaluated based on the applicant’s artistic merit and the applicant’s potential for collaborations.

Obligations

The successful applicants may be required to take part in at least one public programming event (artist sharing, public workshop etc). The artist must comply with the rule in connection to the preservation of heritage buildings of Cattle Depot.