Performance art festival showing in London this week

Rory Pilgrim, Seeds Upon The Dance Floor, 2014 sic! Raum für Kunst, Luzern

London’s international performance art festival Block Universe is open for a week-long programme. It addresses notions of nationhood, the power of collective voices and identity politics set against a changing socio-political landscape.

Now in its third edition, Block Universe brings together cutting-edge performance art at the cross-section of contemporary visual art, dance and music, and presents work by some of the most exciting UK-based and international artists. This year, audiences will experience Liz Magic Laser’s political therapy workshops along with Stina Nyberg’s visually described choreography questioning historic Swedish physical ideals. Turkish artist lşıl Eğrikavuk will be giving a performative dinner and Will Rawls will question the audience with a subversive Q&A in a grade-II-listed site. On Thursday, Zadie Xa will create a unique immersive environment at Somerset House and Nicole Bachmann’s new commission will examine the relationship between language, voice and power on Friday. Rory Pilgrim’s new commission will explore sci-fi robotic support systems of care and there will be a first-time collaboration between Kim Coleman, Zoë Poluch and Cara Tolmie. Eglė Budvytytė’s mobile performance disrupting public space and Young In Hong’s choreography of protest will take place at the Royal Academy of Arts through an open source participatory performance.

Louise O’Kelly, Founding Director of Block Universe, says: “As Block Universe enters its third edition, it has been a pleasure to see what a vital platform the festival has proven to be in such a short space of time for both artists working in this medium and for audiences to experience exciting, relevant new work. The festival has proven to be a real incubator for emerging talent and we hope to continue to support artists in making ambitious new works and increasing visibility of performance practices from UK-based artists within an international context. We have a truly exciting line-up this year with ambitious new commissions and premieres that are pushing the boundaries of cutting edge performance art today.”