Workshop COLLABORATIVE PERFORMANCE: Togetherness and Tensions by JAŠA

In an increasingly complex world, the necessity and efficiency of working together—collaborating—become paramount, especially within artistic practice. This workshop, ‘Togetherness and Tensions,’ delves into the power of collective creation, exploring how shared intention and synchronised action can lead to impactful artistic outcomes. We’ll begin by examining significant works by other artists that underscore the vital role of collaboration in generating meaning and challenging perceptions.

While rooted in performance, this workshop’s benefits extend far beyond those solely interested in performance art. It offers a unique opportunity for any artist to deepen their understanding of collaboration, responsiveness, and impactful action in their creative field, viewing it as a strategy for self-realisation and survival. The core of this workshop lies in real-time, hands-on practices, where participants will concentrate on creating ad-hoc collaborations as actions that use the very essence of ‘togetherness’ while exploring urgency and tension. Prepare to engage, adapt, and build with and alongside fellow artists in a dynamic, responsive environment.

Duration: August 27 – 28, 2025 

Hours: Each day from 10 AM – 12:30 PM

Seats: Max. 20 | Language: English

Fees: The participation fee is €90 per person including material (without accommodation).

The fee is VAT-exempt by the Governing Mayor of Berlin – Senate Chancellery Higher Education and Research pursuant to Paragraph 4 No. (21) (a)(bb) UStG (German Value Added Tax Act).

In this workshop, participants will:

• Gain profound insight into the theoretical and practical foundations of artistic collaboration.
• Develop skills in spontaneous, ad-hoc performance and action development within a group setting.
• Understand the necessity and efficiency of collective work in contemporary art.
• Experience real-time creative problem-solving and responsive artistic dialogue.
• Cultivate a deeper understanding of ‘Togetherness and Tensions’ as both a theme and a methodology in art.

Day 1

10.00 – 10.20 am: Introduction: The Fabric of Collaboration & Urgency, Why Togetherness?
A presentation and discussion on the historical and contemporary significance of collaboration in performance and art. We’ll explore works by other artists that exemplify the necessity and efficiency of working together as a reaction to socio-political realities, setting a theoretical foundation for our practical exploration.

10.20 – 11.30 am: Practical Session I: Spontaneous Grouping & Shared Impulses.
Participants will engage in a series of guided exercises designed to facilitate relaxing within the space, one’s body, and to enhance immediate connection. This includes presence by doing nothing, creating contras with explosive gesturest, and temporary compositions (with pre-selected objects in the space). The focus will be on non-verbal communication, shared attention, presence, and the tension it can create. The process will culminate in the creation of ad-hoc collaboration duos.

11.30 am – 12.15 pm: Duo Action Exploration.
Based on initial exercises and connections made, participants will share the outcomes of initial collaborative exercises. Participants will then engage in their created duos and continue exploring options for their actions-in-progress through a series of guided exercises focusing on individual actions. Participants will simultaneously engage in creation and observation.

12.15 – 12.30 pm: Group Feedback & Idea Articulation.
Sharing the outcomes, a dynamic discussion will center on the challenges and strengths of immediate teamwork and ideas already put into action. This discussion will prepare the groundwork for further development of actions in progress, creating clear context and finalization for the following day.

Day 2

10.00 – 11.00 am: Practical Session II: Togetherness and Tensions in Action.
Following the first day’s development and newly gained knowledge, participants will engage in a series of warm-up actions: 1) presence by doing nothing, 2) creating contrast and developing explosive gestures in loops, and 3) voice as sound and words, as looped gestures. To further develop the notion of potential, exercises will continue by mixing the groups: participants will become part of other duos and change performing partners, serving as a rehearsal of flexibility and proactivity.

11.00 – 12.15 pm: Execution of Created Actions and Situations.
Groups will present their developed actions/performances. This concluding phase of the workshop will create the atmosphere of “here and now,” where each duo will perform their actions for a given slot of time. Through this final exercise, participants will perform existing ad-hoc collaborations in front of each other. This experience will enable each participant to act and witness others, embodying the concept of urgency through physical and conceptual gestures, utilizing their own newly discovered language and style.

12.15 – 12.30 pm: Conclusion.
The collective discussion will focus on the effectiveness of their collaborative process, the impact of their “togetherness and tension” in action, and pathways for integrating these learnings into individual and collective artistic practices (not necessarily solely within the medium of performance).

JAŠA (Mrevlje-Pollak, 1978, Ljubljana) is a highly influential contemporary artist renowned for his conceptual practice, which extensively uses space as a medium for transformative, site-specific interventions and durational performances. After graduating from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, he established an active international career with bases in Venice, Ljubljana, New York, and Berlin, exhibiting extensively worldwide. His prominence was cemented when he represented Slovenia at the 56th Venice Biennale (2015) with his monumental durational performance and installation UTTER / The Violent Necessity for the Embodied Presence of Hope. His extensive practice features impactful installations and critical engagements, including driving the ongoing ‘The Monuments’ series at Kühlhaus Berlin and the multidisciplinary ‘BLOOM’ 10-year retrospective (2022). He is also the co-author of ‘Making It_The Artist’s Survival Guide’ (2021) and actively fosters new talent through his ‘Making It’ international workshop series. From 2019 to 2020, JAŠA was a pivotal force in Non-Grupa, an influential activist movement in Slovenia. In addition to his art, he is an in-demand instructor, lecturer, and public figure.

More information on the JAŠA Website.