Everything has a Meaning in Performance

Workshop was advertised all over the country, in prominent magazines and even on the matchboxes.

The idea of the workshop came from international performance artists  Angelika Fojtuch and BBB Johannes Deimling. Deimling has been a lecturer in the Estonian Art Academy Interdisciplinary Arts faculty since the year 2004.

Gdansk is a port city. The port is a place of exchange between goods, ideas and persons. Exporting values through performance was the basic idea of “Port Performance”.

The workshop took place in the historic Gdańsk shipyard. The freedom fighting, led by Lech Wałeşa, started from this very place in the 1980s. Blood was shed and the strikes took place right here. Stocznia is not only a museum but is presently functioning as a ship factory; hence the reason why the shipyard gates remain closed to members of the public. Tourists have access only to the Solidarność Centre in order to see the exhibition “On the Road of Freedom”. Participants of “Port Performance” workshop had special permission to be in the shipyard any time, even at night.

The Stocznia area is occupied not only by workers but also by artists. There is a colony of artists (Kolonia Artystów) and the contemporary art centres Wyspa Institute and Modelarnia.

Workshop participants came from Germany, UK, Swizerland, Poland and me from Estonia. Our group gathered in Modelarnia for the start. “From now on everything has a meaning for you,” emphasized Johannes Deimling. The whole week of intensive training and public presentation on Saturday lay ahead. The workshop was based on getting to know our bodies. Body is the performance artist’s tool. One can make the body do anything. It is possible to change the body into the medium that expresses some greater idea. The body can be a symbol.

The complex of exercises for training the body is called scriptwork. It is like sketching with the body, suitable both for beginners and advanced performance artists for daily training. Scriptwork is a group work, when the bodies meet and communicate in order to overcome fears connected with the body. The basic element of training is standing straight and walking directly and to both sides. When participants become more skilful, more complicated elements like pause, copying, repeating, time and peripheral view field are added. Quite a few participants discover new inner possibilities, as well as fears. There was a young man who admitted to having felt absolutely shocked when a young lady kissed him on the lips during the scriptwork. The girl recommended him not to take the kiss personally because she was only testing body limits.

In the following days we added different items into the scriptwork. We made performative installations by moving objects in the space. Deimling & Fojtuch gave us individual tasks: each one of us had to make a solo performance every day.

In addition to training we also studied Polish, using the dictionary, which was put together by Angelika Fojtuch. We visited Gdynia, Gdansk’s twin city, where we made performances on the beach. We looked into ourselves on this day. “Think, artists, what is it you can give to the world,” said Fojtuch, placing two fish and a bread on the sand, in the middle of our circle. We divided these between each other and ate in silence. Later each one of us told the story from her/his life. Everything had a meaning.

In Saturday there was a final presentation. The audience was on the special list for access into the shipyard. We decided to start with scriptwork, which ends with performative installation. We used food, everyday items, soil and tree branches. Afterwards each one of us made a solo performance.

I had discovered a crane. It was an old crane that was not in use any more, but it was possible to climb on top of it. I photographed from on top of the crane at nights. The word solidarność haunted me more and more. After seeing the exhibition “Roads to Freedom” I had the idea of making a political performance from the top of the crane. My idea was connected with the similar fate of Estonia and Poland. The freedom stories of these two countries are alike. I was in my early teens when the Soviet Union collapsed, so the changes in my body and changes in the huge part of the planet took place at the same time. Estonian and Polish freedom fighting has got a personal meaning for me. I concentrated on the red and white Polish flag.

On Saturday I was informed that even we, artists, with special permission, are not allowed to climb on the cranes, but Angelika Fojtuch told me that I could try to perform illegally. In spite of that, the situation changed and my final presentation took place on Modelarnia’s balcony. The idea was the same but was executed not from 20 metres high but from 6 metres.

An intensive week was finished by art professor DJ Klaman. Johannes Deimling and Angelika Fojtuch gave me a cake at midnight: it was Fidel Castro’s birthday. Deimling & Fojtuch promised that “Port Performance” will take place in many port cities in the future. The next workshop will be as soon as January 2007 in Tallinn. There is a plan to make a workshop in Havana, Cuba in the summer 2008. I want to make a performance with Fidel Castro. I hope to get a free flight because of my name. Suitcases are already packed, now we only must inform Castro.

Performance’is peab kõigel olema tähendus

Workshop’i plakatit levitati kogu Poolas, see oli avaldatud kõigis olulisemates ajakirjades ja kleebitud isegi tikutopsidele.

Workshop’i idee autorid ja korraldajad olid rahvusvahelised performance’i-kunstnikud Angelika Fojtuch ja BBB Johannes Deimling. Deimling on 2004. aastast Eesti Kunstiakadeemia interdistsiplinaarsete kunstide õppejõud.

Gdansk on sadamalinn. Sadamalinnades vahetatakse kaupu, inimesi ja ideid. Väärtuste eksport performance’i kaudu oligi “Port Performance’i” keskne idee. Workshop toimus ajaloolises Stocznia laevatehases. Just siit algas 1980ndatel Lech Wałeşa juhtimisel vabadusliikumine. Siin toimusid streigid ja valati verd. Stocznia pole pelgalt muuseum, vaid töötab ka praegu: sellest ka, miks tehasevärav tavainimesele suletuks jääb. Turist tohib siseneda ainult Solidaarsuse keskusse, et vaadata näitust “On the Road of Freedom”. “Port Performance’i” workshop’il osalejad võisid eriloaga viibida tehase alal kas või öösel. Stocznia territooriumil on end koos töölistega sisse seadnud kunstnikud. Seal asub kunstnike koloonia (Kolonia Artystów) ning tegutsevad kaasaegse kunsti keskused Wyspa Instituut ja Modelarnia. Workshop’il osalesid kunstiakadeemiate tudengid Saksamaalt, Inglismaalt, Šveitsist, Poolast ja mina ainsana Eestist.

Grupp kogunes esimesel päeval Modelar­niasse. “Nüüdsest on teie jaoks kõigel tähendus,” rõhutas BBB Johannes Deimling. Ees ootas nädala jagu intensiivset treeningut ja laupäevane avalik esitlus. Workshop põhines oma keha tundma õppimisel. Keha on performance’i-kunstniku tööriist. Keha saab panna tegema, mida tahes. Selle võib muuta vahendiks, et edastada mingit suuremat ideed. Keha võib olla sümbol. Harjutuste kompleksi, millega keha treenitakse, nimetab Deimling scriptwork’iks. Scriptwork on kehaga visandamine, sobides nii algajaile kui ka tegevkunstnikele igapäevaseks treeninguks. Scriptwork on grupitöö, mille käigus kehad omavahel kohtuvad ja suhtlevad, et üle saada kehaga seotud hirmudest. Treeningu põhielement on sirge rühiga seismine ja kõndimine ainult otse ja külgedele. Vilumuse kasvades lisatakse keerulisemaid elemente nagu paus, matkimine, kordus, kaugem vaateväli ja aeg. Nii mõnigi scriptwork’is osaleja võib avastada endas uusi võimalusi, aga ka hirme. Üks noormees tunnistas, et oli täiesti šokeeritud, kui üks neiu teda scriptwork’i ajal huultele suudles. Neiu soovitas suudlust mitte isiklikult võtta, sest ta olevat keha piire testinud. Järgmistel päevadel kaasasime tegevusse kõikvõimalikke esemeid, mille ruumis ümberpaigutamisega tekkis performatiivne installatsioon. Fojtuch ja Deimling andis meile ka individuaalseid ülesandeid, iga päev pidi igaüks eraldi tegema lühikese performance’i.

Lisaks treeningule õppisime poola keelt Angelika Fojtuchi koostatud sõnastiku abil. Käisime ka Gdanski naaberlinnas Gdynias, kus rannas performance’eid tegime. Rannapäev kujunes enda sisse vaatamise päevaks. “Mõelge, kunstnikud, mida teil on maailmale anda,” sõnas Fojtuch , asetades meie sõõri keskele kaks kala ning saiapätsi, mille omavahel vaikides ära jagasime. Hiljem jutustas igaüks loo oma elust. Kõigel oli tähendus.

Laupäevasel lõpuesitlusel, kuhu publik sai sisse nimekirja alusel, otsustasime alustada scriptwork’iga, millest kujunes performatiivne installatsioon. Kasutasime toiduaineid, igapäevaesemeid, mulda ja puuoksi. Seejärel tegi igaüks oma isikliku performance’i.

Olin avastanud kraana. See oli vana kraana, mida ei kasutatud, aga mille tippu sai ronida. Öösiti käisin kraanal pildistamas. Aina enam kummitas mind sõna “solidarność”. Näitus “Vabaduse teel” laevatehase väravas tekitas mõtte teha kraana tipus poliitiline performance. Idee oli seotud Eesti ja Poola ühise saatusega. Meie vabaduse lood on  sarnased. Kuna mu suureks kasvamise aeg langeb kokku N Liidu lagunemise ajaga, sai Poola ja Eesti ühine võitlus minu jaoks isikliku tähenduse. Nii keskendusin oma töös Poola lipuvärvidele: punasele ja valgele.

Laupäeval selgus, et kraanal ei tohtivat isegi meie, erilubadega kunstirahvas, ronida, aga Fojtuchi poolest võisin teha illegaalse teose. Paraku lõppes kõik siiski teisiti ja nii tegin performance’i hoopis Modelarnia rõdult. Idee jäi samaks, aga 20 meetri asemel olin ainult kuue meetri kõrgusel.

Pingelise töönädala lõpetas kunstiprofessor DJ Klaman. Keskööl kinkisid Angelika Fojtuch ja BBB Johannes Deimling mulle Fidel Castro sünnipäeva puhul tordi. Deimling ja Fojtuch käis välja lubaduse, et “Port Performance” hakkab toimuma paljudes sadamalinnades, järgmine juba jaanuaris 2007 Tallinnas. Suvel 2008 on workshop plaanis Havannas. Tahan teha performance’i koos Fidel Castroga. Oma nime tõttu saan loodetavasti tasuta lennupiletid. Kohvrid on juba pakitud, nüüd tuleb ainult Castrole teatada.

Tekst: Fideelia Signe Roots, Sirp Eesti Kultuurileht 2006