Bad Mood

Bad Mood is a mood and a performative condition. It cannot be performed at will but rather the mood performs itself through people and situations. “Bad Mood” manifests through personal presence or absence. “Bad Mood” will be present in the physical exhibition space as well as in the mental space around the exhibition (such as press, media, the Internet, events, guided tours, educational program of the institution etc.) “Bad Mood” has no physical form, and cannot be visually documented, it transmits itself primarily through contagion or word of mouth. It can be performed by anyone, and be documented in writing. The visitor/audience/witness would be informed of the presence of the work either verbally, such as through a rumor, or with a note on the exhibition sheet, in the catalogue. “Bad Mood” was originally created in 2013 (as part of the exhibition “3 Artists Walk into a Bar” at deAppel Arts Centre, Amsterdam)

Technical description:

Title: “Bad Mood”

Year: 2013/2017

Technique/ material: bad/mood

Image: illustrative/symbolic

Documentation (Thesis)

Presented at “3 Artists Walk into a Bar”, De Appel Boys School, Amsterdam; “Poppositions” 2015, Brussels; “Lo and Behold” at Manifesta Foundation, Amsterdam, curated by Juliette Jongma; April 2018  at MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna during Live Arts Week VII Bologna, a project by Xing

CODOMESTICATION

The artists Krõõt Juurak and Alex Bailey – co-parents of Albert – deal with issues of gender policy in raising a child in CODOMESTICATION. In this project, they have invited their child to act as a co-director and collaborator in designing and  performing the work. Co-parenting and collaborating with a small child can be challenging and sometimes even infuriating – we grown-ups may well have to give up some if not all our personal wishes and artistic ideals to make this work possible. “Children force adults to be either anarchists or authoritarians”, Darren O’Donnell stated in Haircuts by Children. Children are considered an economic burden, someone to care for, and at the same time they are usually not allowed at the workplace, let alone a job of their own and participation in matters that matter to them. A society where you have to choose between work and spending time with your children is not good enough for us. As the meaning of work is changing rapidly, we will have to look at children to understand what work will look like in the future. With their well-known brand of dry humour, Krõõt Juurak and Alex Bailey will attempt to find common ground with their toddler collaborator. By combining affective labour and childcare with artistic work, CODOMESTICATION addresses the precarious nature of both.

“We do this work not only because we believe in a society that is more inclusive of children and others but also because the creativity of these ‘others’ is inspiring to us even and especially when it disrupts and undermines our established paths and working methods.” — Krõõt Juurak & Alex Bailey

Coproduction: Tanzquartier Wien and Kulturtier

Premiere: 2. March 2019

Review by Verena Kettner: https://tqw.at/als-kinder-sind-wir-alle-queer/

VIDEO test performance in Tanzquartier Wien 2. March 2019

Kate Strain & Donney Mahoney review A LIFE’S WORK

Introduction  artistvideo

Audio-guide

A series of site-specific works for exhibition-spaces in the form of an audio-guide. The audio-guide is typically utilised in exhibitions in order to guide the visitor and give information on the exhibition – in this case the audio-guide gives neither information nor guidance but through the act of listening to the audio-guide the visitor herself becomes a kind of a performer in the exhibition.

Audio-guide titled “Raivo Juurak” exhibited at “Dissolution – Raivo Puusemp in Dialogue with” curated by Krist Gruijthuijsen at Tallinn Art Hall Gallery April 2017

Audio-guide titled “NoOr Mertens” exhibited at “KroOt” solo exhibition curated by NoOr Mertens at Kunstverein Langenhagen, July  2017

Performances for Pets

Performances for Pets in collaboration with Alex Bailey, is a performance created for house-hold pets.

        

Performances for Pets is a performance created for domestic pets. Through research into pet’s tastes and interests and with consultation from pet behavioural therapists and psychologists this performance is an attempt to bring an experience of theatre and contemporary art to domestic pets. Each performance is adjusted to the specific audience member’s character and willingness to engage or interact.

Website

Video documentation on Vimeo

Presented at Stromereien Festival Zürich; International Figurentheater Festival Erlangen & #CATCONTENT at Kunstpalais Erlangen, Germany (curated by Ina Neddermayer); Brut, Vienna, supported by SHIFT; Animal Dances at Sophiensaele, Berlin (curated by Martin Nachbar and Maximilian Haas); Bristol Biennale 2016, Bristol, “We Love Animals – 400 Years of Animals and Art” at Kunstmuseum Ravensburg, “Animal Lovers” nGbK Berlin, i.e.

Animal Jokes (for Animals)

A performance for humans in collaboration with Alex Bailey. The internet is saturated with video’s of animals acting “funny,” ranging from compilations in which cats fail to perform certain actions to dogs dancing to pop music. In short, the idea of humans using animals to have fun is widespread. Animal Jokes (for Animals) attempts to reverse this dominant regime and imagine humorous moments, acts and attempts at fun, as seen from the perspective of the pet animal proper. Animal Jokes (for Animals) consists of a series of physical and mental “jokes” imagining a type of humour that humans do not have access to. This performance was first performed at Salon Klimbim at the Vienna Secession (curated by Fahim Amir).

photos by Luca Ghedini.

XING, Bologna (invited by Silvia Fanti); “John Smith, the Posthuman” (curated by Niekolaas Lekkerkerk & Sally Müller) Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht; WUK Performing Arts, Vienna (review).

 

Internal Conflict

“Internal Conflict” is an ongoing improvisational intra-institutional performance, manifesting as signs of internal conflict within a team. The aim is to give a random bystander, the public or media the impression of inner tensions and slight unprofessionalism within the team. This “performance” can be witnessed as seemingly accidental more or less obvious incidents, for example a quarrel, misunderstandings during a public announcement, general mood in the office etc. This performative condition and its potential consequences expose the tension between emotional labour and the constructed professional personality of the performer.

Photo: Kate Strain, Emma Panza, Aneta Rostowska, Renata Cervetto, Kris Dittel, Lara Khaldi: Participants of the Curatorial Programme De Appel for the exhibition “Father Can’t You See I’m Burning?”

Kate_Strain_The New Professionals by Kate Strain

De Appel Curatorial Program: “Father Can’t you See I’m Burning” (2014)

Nu Performance Festival: So Far So Good, Tallinn (curated by myself) (2014)

SOAP at Niuwe Vide, Haarlem. Curated by Nathalie Hartjes (2015)

V NU Performance Festival: So Far So Good

So Far So Good is a festival presenting artists and artworks, artists with and without artworks, performances with and without audiences, maybe even audiences without performances; in other words various constructions of performativity and performance-based productions.

Artists: Simon Asencio (F), Alex Bailey (UK), Djana Covic (DE/NL), Dora García (E), Uschi Geller Experience (D), Krõõt Juurak (EE/A), Chicks on Speed (DE/E/US/AUS), Rytis Saladžius (LT), Alissa Snaider (EE)

Curated by: Krõõt Juurak

19-22 November 2014 at Kanuti Gildi SAAL, Tallinn.

Festival Newspaper PDF

KrõÕt

‘KrõÕt’ the venue normally run by Krõõt Juurak, for a limited time period features works conceived and/or executed by other artists. At the end of the “exhibition” KrõÕt returns the works to their owners.

Exhibited at KroOt, 2013 “Oo”, Venice; “KroOt” 2013 Ellen de Bruijne Projects Amsterdam; KroOt, 2017 Kunstverein Langenhagen;

The Place of the Grave

 

Video (Tanzquartier Wien)

A girl was playing in the house and suddenly the Grave came to the girl and said: »Little girl, little girl, you can play here but you have to close the doors and windows.« The girl said yes and continued to play. Then the Grave came a second time and said: »Little girl, little girl, you can play here but you have to remember to close the doors and windows.« The girl said yes again and continued to play. For the third time the Grave came to the girl and said: »Little girl, little girl, you can play here but you have to remember to close the doors and windows.« The girl said yes, and continued to play. 

This lecture explores notions of disappearance, expectancy, and the duty of the artist to believe in their own work. Somewhere between the deeply engaging and the uncomfortably real, Krõõt’s delivery is that of the stand-offish stand-up tragi-comic.

evening programme TQW

Video

Presented at Tanzquartier Wien; DREAD – Fear in the Age of Technological Acceleration (curated by Juha Van Hetzelfde) Het Eye Cinema, Amsterdam; “Centre for Dying on Stage” (curated by Kate Strain) Project Arts Centre Dublin, Ireland; Vestibular (curated by Monika Lipsic, Alissa Snaider, Jurgis Paskevicius and Aapo Nikkanen) CAC, Vilnius

 

SLEEPING PERFORMANCE

SLEEPING IN RESIDENCE at Gashuis Amsterdam 2007, in collaboration with Ralo Mayer, Remi Heritier. See documentation here: sleepingperformance. and instagram #sleepingperformance

Scripted Smalltalk

“Scripted Smalltalk” is a 50 min performance where the audience is reading scripted dialogues. The scripts are mostly about almost nothing, the scripts themselves intermingled with other trivial or existential matters: tv series, common fears in theatrical situations that involve audience participation, boredom and fun, chaos and communication, whatever. There is no action on stage, the choreographer/author distributes scripts and microphones and halfway into the show brings candies and vodka. This performance is “choreography” in the literal sense of the word – writing of the chorus.

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photos by Ouidade Soussi-Chiadmi

Co-production Tanzquartier Wien 2009 and Wiener Tanz und Musik Bewegung

SCRIPTED SMALLTALK NASA script

Video excerpt in ETV (Estonian)

Reviews: Tagesspiegel (in German), DN (in Swedish), SIRP (in Estonian)

Performances: Mindaugas Triennial Vilnius 31. August 2012, Under the Mountain festival, Jerusalem 31.July 2012, Kampnagel Hamburg Space for Live Art 30. May 2. June 2012, Arteleku San Sebastian 24. February 2012 (in Spanish), Kanuti Gildi SAAL 2.- 3. February 2012 (in Estonian), Tanzquartier Wien 19. November 2011 (in English), MDT Stockholm 27.August 2011, Laboratoires D’Aubervilliers 31. April 2011 (in French)

“Once Upon”

Once Upon is a performance or video of very small things or animals. A kind of an Estonian fairy tale that puts an emphasis on time, extended duration, stating the obvious and all the missing elements in a narrative.

They say folks that can manage big things never can manage little ones.
A proper fairy tale told by a narrating princess. 
A handheld dinosaur speaks prophetic wisdom. 
A mesmerizing adventure video uncovers ancient truths. You’ll see it all in: Once upon.
PS: including special appearance cat, dog and bird in ABSOLUTE DARKNESS!!!

Coproduction Kanuti Gildi SAAL, Imagetanz Wien 2006

dramaturgical advice: Berno Odo Polzer

Shown at: “Sõida Tasa Üle Silla” Tartu, Estonia. NIMK, Amsterdam, Xing 2010, Bolgona, Italy; De Singel Antwerpen etc.

Reviews: Helmut Ploebst in Corpus (in german), Petr Karlovsky in Tanznetz (in English), Tiiu Laks in Eesti Päevaleht (in Estonian), Hanno Soans in Postimees (in Estonian)

Autodomestication

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A performative research project about the work of domestic pets as contemporary affective workers. The labour of pets resembles the affective and emotional labour associated with the creative industries. Artists and pets can be seen as colleagues from different species, working their way to be flexible and adjusted to the challenges posed by the capitalist society.

50 min

MDT Stockholm, as part of lecture series on performance at the Theaterschool Stockholm 31.August 2011

Espacio Carbonesi, Xing Bologna 22.April 2010

co-production: Tanzquartier Wien 2008 (with aftertalk by Fahim Amir)

AUTODOMESTICATION BLOG

Video (excerpt from lecture)

Video (research)

Look Look

Look Look

Look Look is a choreographic transcription of the creative process at play in the world of fashion. Devised in the manner of a fashion show in front of an imaginary mirror (the audience), the starting point for the work was the desire to to show the techniques of the designer Eva Blut, as well as the catwalk attitude differences when the clothes are worn by two different people. Anne Juren and Krõõt Juurak perform a number of poses inspired by the clothing. The body and the image change, mutating from a stereotypical fashion figure to an everyday posture, from a clearly identifiable form to a hybrid, plastiform, more difficult to recognise.

by and with: Anne Juren and Krõõt Juurak

Co-production: Juren/Juurak and Tanzquartier Wien, Unit F (2007)

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Antistatic 2011 

Kampnagel Sommerfestival 2010

etc.