Title: 'Performing Craftivism: Resistant Bodies in Protest Spaces'

Speaker: Dr Amy Skinner - Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Practice, School of Arts (Drama), University of Hull, and Founder and Co-ordinator, Russian Theatre Research Network UK.

Abstract:

In this paper, Dr Skinner will position the craftivist movement as a starting point for framing interactions between performers and spectators within the context of a performance event. Focusing on the act of crafting, rather than on the crafted product, it theorises crafting or hand-making as essentially theatrical acts: experiences of embodied storytelling carried out by the maker through the agency of an object. As the maker interacts with the craft materials, a tangible change occurs in their nature; as such, crafting is an inherently change-focused and potentially political act. Drawing examples from craftivist interventions carried out in different settings, including my own production of Zodwa Nyoni’s new work Weathered Estates (February – March 2017), this paper ultimately wishes to explore the potential of embodied craftivist interventions in an increasingly populist context, and how their inclusion in a performance setting can spark a new dialogue between performer, spectator and space. Links to Dr Skinner's academic profiles:  http://beta.www.hull.ac.uk/Faculties/staff-profiles/Amy-Skinner.aspx https://aeskinnertheatre.wordpress.com/ (online portfolio)

Cost: Free Admission – All welcome but booking is required in order to guarantee a place and to enable us to ensure we have an adequately sized room booked for the session. 

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