International Centre for Fine Art Research

ICFAR is currently co-hosting Leverhulme Visiting Professor, Bonnie Marranca with Queen Mary University of London Bonnie Marranca’s writing and publishing includes several books and essays on the American avant garde and to mark the close of her residency in London she has invited two distinguished multi disciplinary artists performers to present their work.  In early April the New York based Fluxus artist, poet and performer Alison Knowles, gave a two-day workshop for artists and PhD students from UAL, Roehampton, Birkbeck and co-Leverhulme hosts Queen Mary University of London.

In late April the composer Meredith Monk will be in London. Bonnie Marranca has invited her to contribute to an event co-hosted by CRiSAP and held at the University of Notre Dame’s London home. The event will feature Monk’s work and mark the publication of new issues of the journals PAJ: a journal of Performance and Art, of which Marranca is editor, and Performance Research, of which ICFAR Director Claire MacDonald is a founding editor.

Meredith Monk is a multidisciplinary composer and performing artists who works between music, theatre and dance. Her musical works have been used in films by the likes of the Coen Brothers and Jean-Luc Godard. She has influenced artists such as Bruce Nauman, and collaborated with others including Björk, Terry Riley, DJ Spooky, and John Zorn.

Monk has long been interested in art, music and spirituality, and in working with musical practices emerging within religious traditions. The new issue of PAJ contains an extended interview with her, and the new issue of PR, ‘Congregation’ take its title from a discussion published in PAJ, in which Monk talked about the difference between working with an audience and working with a congregation. Each of the issues explores the relationship of contemporary art and performance to religious and spiritual practice, including essays on Marina Abramovic, Ann Hamilton and on Monk herself.

The event will include a panel discussion led by Professor Alan Read of Kings College London, on the special issues of PAJ and Performance Research, and willBe followed by an evening reception with contributions from composers and performers, including UK based composer Jocelyn Pook, and singer Melanie Pappenheim.

Future Leverhulme events include:

May 6th – Ideas and Aperitifs: the Leverhulme edition. Claire MacDonald talks to Bonnie Marranca about their joint project ‘Performance Drawing’ which has been researched during her stay in London.

May 7th  - Seminar on publishing and editing art, writing and performance journals with Claire MacDonald  and Richard Gough (Performance Research), Bonnie Marranca (PAJ), Maria Fusco (The Happy Hypocrite), Claire Hind (Writing Pad), Maria Delgado (Contemporary Theatre Review) and others. Details from Aoife Monks.