Participatory Dissent: Debates in Performance

Description:

Western Front presented an auxiliary program in collaboration with the 2007 edition of the LIVE Performance Art Biennale, which was curated around the theme of “public.” 

Western Front’s program was entitled Participatory Dissent: Debates in Performance and was organized by guest curator, Natalie Loveless. The curation was also a collaborative process wherein an invited artist would invite the next artist, creating a network of peer-informed performance. The multi-day program brought over a dozen international artists to Vancouver to perform, intervene, discuss, and debate the issues, ecology, and ethics of contemporary performance.

Participatory Dissent presented individual and collaborative performance works—including commissioned work— that were presented at Western Front, online, and outdoors. Two panels with the artists were also held. The public was invited to participate and enjoy four days of live performance art, social intervention, and discussion surrounding performance art practices.

Participating artists were Marilyn Arsem, Paul Couillard, Naufús Figueroa, Kevin Hamilton, Jeff Huckleberry, Roddy Hunter, iKATUN, Michael Morris, The National Bitter Melon Council, Sal Randolph, Second Front, Artur Tajber, Vincent Trasov, and Vassya Vassileva.

Curated by Natalie Loveless.