A blog by Lara Angelina and Dunja van der Velde – DIT Project Assistant

Reflections from Lara and Dunja

We want to acknowledge that Lara Angelina and Dunja van der Velde are writing this blog together. This is due to our collaboration spanning across our time at the Live Art Development Agency (LADA) as project assistants for the Do It Together project (DIT’s), and of course beyond this. We both came wielding academic weapons and an insatiable desire to sink our teeth into everything, get our fingers in all the pies and learn the Excel shortcuts properly. We wanted to do a short interview, as reflective of our shared experience at LADA.

To begin:

I, Lara, would like to ask you, Dunja, how did you experience the first day?
The first day, coming in, I was feeling very nervous to meet the team and enter a new space. I was trying to trust that we’d been prepared for this role by our degree and reminded myself that we are here to learn, not to know. This incentive was immediately validated by the team at LADA. Recognising that because they know LADA very well, what might seem obvious to them might not be to us. So, if we have any questions, or need something to be explained again, do not hesitate to ask. They also cared about making sure we were taking adequate breaks and to communicate if we needed any adjustments in our approach to collaborating on the project. This eased me into the environment, I remember leaving that day filled with excitement, instead of nerves, for the DIT project and working alongside the team at LADA.

Now, I, Dunja, would like to ask you, Lara the same question.
I was overly anxious about how I’d be perceived- because you want to make an impression, right? I don’t want to be too eager or not eager enough etc etc…But I agree with you, the team made it clear this was a learning opportunity and were accommodating to our questions and needs. As nervous as I was on our first day, I felt really energised just being at LADA- surrounded by the books and pictures and live art memorabilia, and people who care about live art and are actively keeping the sector alive. I think this buzzing energy sustained me through my time there, and I’m sure you felt the same- they basically had to drag us out of the building every evening…

Dunja, I have another burning question for you. Can you describe our roles as project assistants on the DIT project?
Yes! We learned so many practical skills. We mainly worked on communications; website building, navigating WordPress, and social media scheduling. Supporting the team at LADA to realise timelines, gather and categorise information, and facilitate artist liaison. We also tackled data analysis. Through our work on data analysis, we were able to make recommendations to the team at LADA on how to improve the collection and future approach to the application process for the DIT project and think through ways to improve accessibility. In presenting these findings to the team, they were very receptive in collaborating with us to implement our ideas. This collaboration is a key part of my practice as an artist and producer myself, so to see that reflected in how the team approached our input was exciting.

Lara, how do you feel like you’ve gotten to know LADA through working on the DIT project?
I’ve learnt that live art is a small world !! Going into this, I wanted to understand the live art UK infrastructure better than I did before, and I understand that everybody knows everybody who knows everybody who probably knows Daniel Oliver. It was strange seeing familiar faces on the walls, or emailing artists we’ve read about or read writings by; but a good reminder that this world of artists isn’t as far away as it sometimes feels. It worked well that we were doing our Cultural Politics module at uni; looking at institutions and policy whilst being within one and seeing policy enacted in the real world was interesting and I learnt a lot in that regard.

That was a great question Dunja, are there any takeaways for you?
Alongside the tangible practical skillset, getting to know the team gave me invaluable insight into the infrastructure of the UK live art sector and different possibilities. I had a 1 to 1 with Mary Osborn (Director) in which we spoke about care for ourselves and as collaborators in practice moving forward. How to nurture ourselves as creatives within this landscape. I think my key takeaway is that curiosity will teach you how to situate yourself within this sector. Curiosity will allow you to stay receptive to a changing sector that can seem intangible, however allows for so many different pathways towards reaching professional and personal goals.

How about you Lara? What is your key take away?
Like you said, my tangible skillset has definitely developed and with that, my confidence and trust in my own knowledge and skills. Working with you, Dunja, and with the LADA team, has reinforced to me the importance of healthy interdependence. Nobody could’ve done this on their own. Even the renaming of the DIY’s as DIT’s reinforces a collective type of mutual knowledge exchange which is so important and wonderful. When the world is terrifying and lonely, these spaces for artists to form solidarities of feeling and webs of interconnection are all the more important. This, as well as talking to Mary about Steakhouse Live, makes me so excited to make more spaces like this for DIY live art practices to happen. I just want to curate and produce nights and festivals and events; creating contexts for artists works to sit in and space for communities and connections in the process.

Okay Dunja, do you have any final thoughts?
The team at LADA made me feel very welcomed and supported. Being a part of shaping the reintroduction of the DIT project made me excited for the future. Working as a Project Assistant for this duration really made me understand how to shape my own practice moving forward and has expanded my skillset significantly. I am excited to see how our collaboration with LADA will continue. Maybe Lara, you and I might run a DIT in the future or return to LADA in a different way. One way or the other, us working together and collaborating with the LADA team, really gave me invaluable insight into the live art sector.

Now, Lara, your turn, final thoughts?
Final thoughts.. hmmmm… I would’ve loved to have been more involved in the curatorial aspect of the DIT’s, I think curating is something I really enjoy and hopefully part of my future. It’s exciting to realise my practice spans outside of performing. I’m excited to see how the DIT’s play out in the coming years and who knows, maybe we will be the artists applying. I’m very grateful to have gotten to work on the DIT’s and everyone was so accommodating and kind: the artists, the LADA team and of course you Dunja <3

From us: THANK YOU to the LADA team for having us!

We recommend visiting the Study Room to see:
Dunja – Repetition in Performance: returns and invisible forces – Eirini Kartsaki (P3429)
Lara – Survival of the Sickest, the art of Martin O’Brien – Edited by Martin O’Brien and David MacDiarmid (P3518)