]performance s p a c e [
]performance s p a c e [ was founded in 2011 with a singular mission: to facilitate the prime conditions for performance art(ists) in the U.K. We are committed to supporting challenging and difficult practices that embrace performance art as an ever-evolving medium.
Performance art offers us fluid ways of understanding our environments and experiences, through the mediums of time, space and ones body. It is a way of living - a mode of communicating, knowing/learning, remembering and dreaming. It reminds us that we are always in relationship with that which surrounds us - the human and non-human aspects making up our world(s).
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Founded in 2011 (in Hackney Wick, London by Bean and Benjamin Sebastian), ]ps[ remains an artist-led initiative drawing on anti-institutional lineages and DIY working practices. The organisation has always morphed in shape, size and location as a stratergy of continuity - mirroring the ephemerality and fluidity of our field. In 2022 ]ps[ returned to London (from Folkstone), entering a development phase of mobile programming, further exploring the potentials of ]ps[ as a conceptual space, finding temporary home(s) within the sites, programmes and buildings of partner organisations.
]performance s p a c e [ cultivates time-based work that critically pushes the boundaries of the body, time and space - while championing artists and practices that make the established genres and methodologies of the field more porous. We seek to be in community with those whom we may create new commons, to the side of mainstream art education and market structures. ]ps[ is committed to internationalism and the mobility of people and practices.
We initiate and participate in local, national and international networks, co-created with myriad communities of artists, producers, curators, researchers and audiences - maintaining close working relationships with organisations including the Live Art Development Agency, Live Art UK, Ugly Duck, Home Live Art and Venice International Performance Art Week to mention but a few.
Our curatorial programmes are regularly funded by Arts Council Engalnd from the National Lottery Project Grants scheme.
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Artists
(previously exhibited at ]ps[)
Alastair MacLennan
Martin O'Brien
Kira O'Reilly
Carlos Martiel
Julie Tolentino
Rubiane Maia
Anne Bean
Hollie Miller
Jade de Montserrat
Maria Jose Ajorna
Keioui Keijaun Thomas
Elvira Santamaria-Torres
Amanda Coogan
Rocío Boliver
Sandra Johnston
Yann Marussich
Boris Nieslony
Ron Athey
Sheree Rose
Vest And Page
Nina Arsenault
Jurgen Fritz
Julia Bardsley
Kelvin Atmadibrata
Helen Spackman
Ernst Fischer
Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi
Emilio Rojas
Ryan Jordan
Johannes Blomqvis
Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro
Victoria Gray
Fabiola Paz
Joana Cifre-Cerdà
Mark Greenwood
Helena Hamilton
Htein Lin
Scarlet Lassoff
Maria dos Milagres
Hugh O'Donnell
Roberto Sanchez-Camus
Nathan Walker
Jenna Finch
Jamie Lewis Hadley
Kiki Taira
Lyn Lu
Stephanie Hurst
Duncan Ward
Beth Savage,
Joseph Michael Patricio
Anna Marya Tompa
Rebecca Weeks
Jeff Adrioni
Arianna Ferrari
Nusa Pavko
Holly Keasey
Nicola Canavan
Richard Hancock
Rachel Parry
Otelo M. Fabião
Owen Parry
Elizabeth Short (performing as Nick Kilby)
Holly Johnson
Luci Fiction
Liz Clarke
Soriah
Samantha Sweeting
André Castro
Mary Babcock
Paul Hurley
Michael Mayhew
Noora Lobo
Ewa Rybska
Wladyslaw Kazmierczak
Tine Voeks
Maria Lucia
Isik met Knutsdotter
Liam Yeates
Kimbal Bumbstead
Marco Berardi
Kris Canavan
Nadia Salom
Jordan McKenzie
Sebastian Hau-Walker
Yejin Lee
Sandra Stanionyte
Antonio Branco & Riccardo T
Monstera Deliciosa
Chun Hua Catherine Dong
Léann Herlihy
Kate Stonestreet
SERAPHINE1369 (Jamila Johnson-Small)
Stosh/Pig Pen
Fausto Gracia
Traci Kelly
Surya Tüchler
Local Foreigner
Rita Marhaug
Lala Nomada
Lena Chen
Rhine Bernardino
Émilie-Christine P. Newman
Gemma Jones
Gareth Cutter
Gabriele Longega
Ro Hardaker
Helen Davison
Eleanor Dalzell Jenyns
Adriana Disman
Catherine Hoffman
Ria Righteous
Sara Zaltash
Kajoli Ilojak
Uhuru Moor
Tianna Nicole
Jasmine Nyende
Ayotunde Osareme
Salome Asega
Maria Lucia Cruz Correia
Bean
Benjamin Sebastian
Poppy Jackson
Alicia Radage
selina bonelli
Joseph Morgan Schofield
Liz Rosenfeld
Dominic Thorpe
Sinead O'Donnell
Dani Ploeger
Dani d’Emilia
Ash McNaughton
Anja Ibsch
Jade Blackstock
Frank Homeyer
Nicholas Tee
James Jordan Johnson
Máiréad Delaney
Diana J. Torres (pornoterrorismo)
Amber Hawk-Swanson
Zierle Carter
Klara Schilliger
Valerian Maly
Leja Jurisic
Esther Neff
Kris Grey
Florian Feigl,
Jörn J. Burmester
Vivian Chinasa Ezugha
Vela Oma
Sikarnt Skoolisariyaporn
Theodoulos Polyviou
Michalina Musielak
Kimberley Emeny
Dominika Faryno
Ania Jochymek
Karolina Kubik
Paulina Penc
Emma Dixon
Lauren Brown
Season Butler
Ania Jochymek
Noemi Lakmaier
Barnaby Lambert
Jess Rose
Sergio Racanati
Marta Frank
Ian Whitford
Sofia Misma
Karolina Kubik
Anne Quail
Pauline Cummins
Ann Maria Healy
Chrissie Cadman
Frances Mezzeti
Áine O’Dwyer
Áine Phillips
Helena Walsh
Michelle Browne
Tim Bromage
Jordan Wayne Long
Lorena Lo Pena
Ram Samocha
Andre Verissimo Braga
Evamaria Schaller
Marita Bullmann
Brian Patterson
Brian Connolly
Laura Graham
Christobal Yanez
Katrina Sheena Smyth
Daniel Lackey
Johanna Linsley
AMAE
Gerald Curtis
Colm Clarke
Leo Devlin
Dominik Lipp
Valentina Chirita
Teja Reba
Christopher Mollon
Lindsay Tunkl
Teena Lange
Robin Bale
Dolanbay
Li E Chen
Brian McCorkle
Kaia Gilje
Carlos Salazar-Lermont
Aliza Shvarts
Rory O'Connor
Johanne M Hauge
Alison Ballance
Chelsea Coon
Pablo Pakula
Karlina Nieduza
Gabi Bila (Lady Gaby)
Mika Hockman
Al Hurfi
Brian Loughran
Andreas Louca
Killian Reimers
Claudia Kappenberg
Nicola Woodham
Barbara Monteiro
Jasmin Lee
Anna Kosarewska
Vaida Tamoseviciute
Daina Pupkeviciute
Eva Martino
Geraldine McEwan
Ximena Alarcon
Justyna Scheuring
Mel Donohoe
Rebecca O'Brien
Charlotte Law
Vivian Druga
Orinta Pranaityte
Collette Patterson
Matt Mahony-Page
Giulia Mattera
johnsmith (Eleanor Fogg)
Pepe Dayaw
Manifesto
I AM SENSITIVE NOT CENSORED
I TAKE RISKS
I CHALLENGE
I DO NOT SEEK PERMISSION, I WILL NEGOTIATE CONSENT
I AM A PLACE OF DISCUSSION & DISSEMINATION
I QUESTION & WANT TO BE QUESTIONED
I CULTIVATE LIVE WORK THAT CRITICALLY & PHYSICALLY PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF TIME, BODY & SPACE
I AM A SPACE FOR PROCESS, A PLACE FOR DIFFICULT, UNRESOLVED & EVOLVING WORK
I EMBRACE PERFORMANCE ART AS AN EVER EVOLVING MEDIUM
I WILL COLLABORATE BUT NOT ALWAYS CO-OPERATE
I AM OF NO DESCRIPT ABILITY, RACE, AGE, GENDER, CLASS, SEXUALITY OR FAITH
I AM YOU
I DO NOT BELIEVE IN FREE LABOUR
I PAY ARTISTS
I BELIEVE IN MOBILITY
I AM A PLACE OF ACTION
I MAKE SPACE
I OCCUPY
I AM EMOTIONAL
I AM IN FLUX
THIS MANIFESTO WILL CHANGE, I WILL CHANGE
Team
︎︎︎ about ]performance s p a c e [
Benjamin Sebastian:
Co-founding Director & Curator
(2011-current)
Benjamin Sebastian, 2022. Video still from film by Baiba Sprance & Marco Berardi.
Benjamin Sebastian (b. Cairns*, AU. 1980) is a trans-disciplinary artist-curator based in London, whose practice spans: curating, installation, writing, image making, sculpture, new media & performance. Some of their most recent projects have included; speaking on the panel ‘Queer Art; Past, Present & Future’ at London city hall for LGBTQIA* History Month - taking part in the symposium; ‘Art, Memory & Place’ at Turner Contemporary - curating ‘PSX: A Decade of Performance Art in the U.K.’ on behalf of ]performance s p a c e [ - exhibition of their solo show; ‘Working With Entities//Setting Intent’ at VSSL Studio - activating their live installation; ‘3 Reflections²’ as part of FUTURERITUAL at the Institute of Contemporary Art - as well as collaborating with the Live Art Development Agency as guest curator on the ‘INTERSECT’ series (platforming embodied practices that reflect intersectional ways of being through contemporary performance & live art).
*The Gimuy Walubara Yidinji and the Yirrganydji peoples are the traditional custodians of Cairns and surrounding district. Gimuy is the traditional place name for the area Cairns City now occupies. Sebastian wishes to pay respect to the Gimuy Walubara Yidinji and Yirrganydji Elders, both past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous Australians.
Benjamin is co-founding director & curator at ]performan s p a c e [. They lead on all aspects of ]ps[ in dialogue with the associate director (Ash McNaughton).
benjamin@performancespace.org
benjamin-sebastian.com
Ash McNaughton:
Associate Director
(2023-current)
Ash McNaughton. Image curtesy of the artist.
Ash McNaughton (UK 1990) is a Folkestone based contemporary artist & facilitator. They are an active member of the international performance collective; Anam Cara and regularly lead workshops centring performance art methodologies at institutions such as: TATE, Whitechapel Gallery, and Middlesex University. In addition, Ash is a trustee of Folkestone Pride, co-director of SITE, and co-founding organiser of Last Fridays Folkestone. They obtained their BA(Hons) in Sculpture from Gray’s School of Art (2013) and an MA in Performance (Contemporary Art Practice) from the Royal College of Art (2018). Ash has performed extensively in the UK and Europe including: The Aberdeen Art Gallery (Aberdeen, Scotland, UK), Haddo House Arts Festival (Ellon, Scotland, UK), Tramway (Glasgow, UK), Venice International Performance Art Week (Venice, Italy), Electrocamp Festival (Mestre, Italy), Revolve Festival (Uppsala, Sweden), Whitechapel Gallery (London, UK), Tempting Failure (Croydon, England, UK), Salvage Festival (Folkestone, England, UK), and Performance Platform (London, UK).
Ash is Associate Director at ]performance s p a c e [ and co-leads on all aspects of ]ps[ in dialogue with the director (Benjamin Sebastian).
ash@performancespace.org
ashmcnaughton.com
Mine Kaplangi:
Associate Arts Producer (freelance)
(2023-current)
Mine Kaplangı (and friend) - Original image by Eda Sancakdar (dino courtesy of the ]ps[ team).Mine Kaplangı is an independent curator and art mediator based in London. They are the co-founder of the curatorial collective Collective Çukurcuma (2015) and KUTULU (2021). Together with Collective Cukurcuma, they have been curating public programmes of exhibitions and running their reading group events as an ongoing transdisciplinary project since 2016. Mine received their bachelor's degree in Philosophy at Istanbul University and (Certificate Programme) in Philosophy of Arts & Aesthetics at Bologna University/ DAMS Faculty. Currently working as a project manager at VSSL Studio, and co-curating the online gallery of Queer Art Projects, qap.digital.
Mine is Associate Arts Producer (freelance) at ]performance s p a c e [ working closely with the the director & associate director on various aspects of ]ps[.
mine@performancespace.org
minekaplangi.com
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Previous Team Members
Bean:
Co-founding Co-director
(2011-2020)
Bean: ‘A Body’. Performed at Profound Sound Festival and Steakhouse Live Festival. Image by Manuel Vason.
“I am an interdisciplinary artist, working across performance & time-based media, writing, curating & design. These seemingly disparate areas of my practice are connected through a fascination of making & creating spaces, demolition & undoing of structures, both psychologically, socially & physically. I am interested in the synthesis and friction between gender constructs, capitalist power structures, ecology & permaculture. My practice explores the interconnections of these through a fiercely political body & heart, rooted in the land and deep listening to people & communities.” - Bean
Bean co-founded ]ps[ & was co-director from 2011 - 2020. Bean curated & co-curated major ]ps[ programmes including; Regimes of Hardship (Martin O’Brien), ]performance e c o n o m i e s [, Performance Art Faction, DRAWN, WAKE and PAUSE&AFFECT. Bean remains a member of ]performance s p a c e [’s informal advisory board.
www.beaninthearchive.com
Joseph Morgan Schofield:
Associate director
(2020-2022)
Joseph Morgan Schofield, 2020. Photo by Fenia Kotspoulou.
Joseph Morgan Schofield (UK 1993) is a performance artist. Understanding acts of gathering and communing as central to their practice, Joseph’s work incorporates curating, producing, facilitating, mentoring and teaching. Joseph organises FUTURERITUAL, a performance and research project considering ritual and queer futurity. They co-produce move close and Live Art Club [London], and are a co-founder of The Sunday Skool for Misfits, Exprimenters and Dissenters. They are the co-founder (along with Benjmain Sebastian) of VSSL studio (London, UK) and work for The Place (London, UK) as Programme Producer.
Joseph was associate director of ]ps[ from 2020 - 2022. Joseph supported strategic, governance & financial matters at ]performance s p a c e [ and co-curated PSX: A Decade of Performance Art in the U.K. (2021) and TIDING (2022).
www.josephmorganschofield.com
Development Update
December 2023
︎︎︎ about ]performance s p a c e [
]ps[ has returned to London. Having said a long and tender farewell to Folkestone’s Creative Quarter - through our hybrid and offsite programming of both ‘PSX: A Decade of Performance Art in the U.K’ (2021) and ‘TIDING’ (2022) - we have returned to the capital and rooted into our administrative home at VSSL Studio in Deptford. In late 2022 we hosted Rocío Boliver at VSSL for their symposium, ‘Decrypting Perfromance Art’ and throughout 2023 have sustained our ongoing relationship with the Live Art Development Agency, guest curating the Intersect Series with, ‘Kelvinatmadibrata in conversation with selina bonelli’ and ‘An oracular practice sharing by SERAFINE1369 and Daniella Valz Gen’.
Drawing 2023 to close, we returned to Ugly Duck in a new partnership with Queer Arts Projects as part of their Pretty Doomed programme, to present live and documented work from our directorial team (Benjamin Sebastian and Ash McNaughton - more on this development below) - as well as archival documentation from our former director, Bean and ]ps[ alumini, Keioui Keijaun Thomas.
As part of our ongoing developement we have decided that ]ps[ will remain - for the time being - a mobile platform. We currently imagine ]ps[ as a conceptual space - mirroring the ephemerality and fluidity of our field. A mobile ]ps[ is a framework which can better hold our programming, producing and network building activities while we are in development. Much of the most dynamic work ]ps[ has engaged in across the last few years has happened offsite, site specifically and out in the Land. In committing to this mobile model for now, ]ps[ can lean into a more nuanced relation to site, seeking out idiosyncratic spaces better suited to the exceptional ephemeral performance works our communities create.
Our team has also under gone a continued restructuring over recent years. Benjamin continues in their role as Artistic Director, leading ]ps[’s artistic & curatorial vision while managing day to day activities. Ash McNaughton has stepped in and succeeded Joseph Morgan Schofield as Associate Director, collaborating with Benjamin on curatorial planning, artistic vision, strategic development & partnerships. We have also welcomed Mine Kaplangi into the ]ps[ fold as Freelance Arts Producer, to support onging collaborations with artists and new partners.
]ps[ has continually reshaped its working practices throughout various geographies across the last 13 years. This contemporary model seems to currently best serve both our organization and communities. Benjamin, Ash & Mine now maintain a hybrid (onsite/remote) working patern out off VSSL studio in Deptford (which also houses the ]ps[ archive). We welcome coffee dates and face to face encounters when in Deptford. While ]performance s p a c e [ operates its administrative home out of VSSL, our programming will largely happen elsewhere in London and further afield.
Our development activities will continue throughout 2024.
We continue to develope a number of collaborative relationships in which the ]ps[ team work as creative producers, mentors & guest curators. We continue to welcome approaches from performance artists to work in wild and wonderous ways - as well as from institutions wishing to centre performance art within their galleries, museums and public programmes.
︎︎︎ Previous Organisational Development Update: Feburary 2022
Kajoli Ilojak, Salvage Festival, 2019. Photo by Manuel Vason.finding us...
In 2022 ]ps[ returned to London and entered a development phase exploring how best to continue our mission (cultivating the prime conditions for performance art(ists) in the U.K.)While continuing to scout for a physical London premesis, our current administrative home is:
VSSL Studio
50 Resolution Way
Deptford. SE8 4AL
For mobile programming collaborations, you will find locations & directions on the relevant offerings pages, and we can otherwise be reached online: