For a new work in 2025, we are hosting an open call, looking for collaborators; dance artists. For the call itself, information, application form etc. see https://www.eivindseljeseth.com/open-call
So, why am I doing this?
That’s a good question. It started as a recognition of my own tendencies to think of the same people when I envision future collaborations and a desire to challenge these tendencies. Not that I don’t want to think about those great people, but I felt a need of expanding that universe, in a way. I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but opening up the process of putting together an artistic team through an open call seemed to me to be an obvious way to do it.
But isn’t this just an old fashioned audition, dressed up in the “kinder words” Open call and workshop? That doesn’t seem very forward thinking… Isn’t this just another way of setting artistic practices up against each other and making a competition of it?
Hm… Yes and no. In some ways I guess it almost is an “audition”. But that is a word and a concept that, for me, comes with some bad memories about being “measured and weighed” and “tested if I am good enough at something” in order to slip through the eye of the needle, or not. This is not what I am planning to do. I want this open call to go both ways, and in addition to my need for help in escaping my own tendencies, I want it to be a possibility for colleagues to get a feel with the project and how I work and then decide whether this is something they are interested in contributing to further or not.
But at the end of the day, it is me that decide who’s get the real choice of being a part of the project or not?
Yes, it is true that there will be a prosess of deciding who to invite to the workshop, and who to ask if they want to be a part of the project in the end. And I am in the position of power in that process. But in reality, this power is exercised every time I choose to call someone and ask them if they would like to be a part of something. It’s just not as visible that there is all these people I don’t call or discuss new collaborations with… The power position becomes more visible and more maybe more uncomfortable, but I think we can handle that.
There is allready four dancers in the artistic team. Why don't they have to apply to the open call?
The project that the open call is for, is “born” out of research and work done in previous projects where they were involved and important. So, first of all it felt right to ask them if they wanted to keep working with some of those aspects. And the continuity and skill set they are carrying is invaluable and super important for the work to keep evolving.
But what about this? …an interview with yourself? Really?
Hehe. Yes, I am sorry. I was bored and had a look in this “notes” section of my website. It’s a section that doesn’t see much updates or traffic. So I thought I’d write a new post. And it turned out like this. Felt cute (might delete later).