Skip to main content

performingborders | LIVE | Curating Borderless Spaces

After a series of pilot events across England and Nogales (US/Mexico border wall), the first performingborders | LIVE concludes with a day of performances, commissioned premieres, talks, food, and provocations at the Live Art Development Agency in London.

Curated by Alessandra Cianetti and Xavier de Sousa, and starting from the cue ‘Curating Borderless Spaces’, the day will focus on highlighting and platforming urgent voices and discourses within the Live Art sector on how we can work together in creating collaborative borderless, anti-racist, non-binary, feminist, non-ableist, post-colonial spaces.

Kicking off the day with a keynote by interdisciplinary artist, educator, and activist Raju Rage, the event will see the premiere of commissioned performances-to-camera by Istanbul Queer Arts Collective and Tara Fatehi Irani, along with new digital conversations on Live Art and borders by Burong and Critical Interruptions (Bojana Janković and Diana Damian Martin). Everyone is invited to participate in a communal live group conversation dotted by the interventions and provocations of guest artists  Bojana Janković, Marikiscrycrycry, Dana Olărescu, Kai Syng Tan and Helena Walsh

Writer in Residence Season Butler will respond to the discussions and exchanges of the day through live writing and she will close the event with a performative response to the day’s proceedings.

 

Curating Borderless Spaces is part of Antiuniveristy 2019

A vegan lunch (with no nuts) will be offered to everyone including a selection of drinks.*

 

SCHEDULE:

12pm: Keynote by Raju Rage + Presentation of commissions by Istanbul Queer Art Collective & Tara Fatehi Irani followed by Q&A with performingborders | LIVE curators and the audience

1.45pm: Lunch (during this time and throughout the day, the commissioned works by Burong, Critical Interruptions, Tara Fatehi Irani, and Istanbul Queer Art Collective will be accessible to the public)

2.30: Live group conversation and provocations by Bojana Janković, Marikiscrycrycry, Dana Olărescu, Kai Syng Tan and Helena Walsh

4pm: Final performance by Season Butler

4.30pm: Drinks and social time

Please note that all tickets are free and access information is below.

 

ACCESS:

Everyone is welcome!

To make sure as many of you can join us on the day, BSL interpretation will be provided (Katie Fenwick, Audrey Simmons), a T-loop system will be in place for those hard of hearing, the space is wheelchair accessible, your animal friends are welcome, and we can provide childcare (Natalie Sowemimo) for up to 7 children aged 1+**

Please get in touch if you have access requirements and we will be happy to support.

*Ingredients will be written down however if you have allergies we strongly advise to bring your own lunch with you.

**If you require childcare please tell us by writing to [email protected] by the 7th of June so we make sure we can book it on time. Thank you!

 

performingborders | LIVE is a programme of events and new commissions focusing on the exploration of artistic practices happening within the UK live art sector around notions of cultural, juridical, racial, gendered, class, physical and everyday borders. Curated by Alessandra Cianetti and Xavier de Sousa.

Presented by performingborders and Foreign Actions Productions in collaboration with Live Art Development Agency (London, UK), Contact Theatre (Manchester, UK), Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (Brighton, UK), Artsadmin (London, UK), Deptford Lounge (London, UK), Beyond the Wall/Más Allá del Mur Festival (Nogales, US/Mexico), and the Centre for The Study of Sexual Dissidence (University of Sussex, UK). Supported by the Arts Council England.

For more information on the programme and the artists involved visit – https://performingborders.live/performingborders-live-2019-programme/

Event gallery

Banner image credit:

Image credits: Istanbul Queer Art Collective, photo by Eda Sancakdar. Image design by Mid’A Design.

Latest events

Tiziano Cruz – Performance Lecture

27 Nov 2026

A performance lecture by Tiziaon Cruz, presented in collaboration with Performance Art Video and Future Ritual at CEREMONY Festival.

Read more

Study Day: Listening to Live Art Archives

21 Nov 2026

Join us for a performance lecture with Johanna Linsley and sound artist Nicol Parkinson, drawing from Deveron Projects’ archive.

Read more

Live Art Bookshop: ABSCISSION Launch

20 Nov 2026

Join us for the launch of ABSCISSION, a book by performance artist, educator and researcher Dani d’Emilia, published in 2026 by Canadian arts organisation Musagetes.

Read more

Live Art Bookshop: Apocrypha Launch

28 Oct 2026

Join us for the launch of Apocrypha by Kasra Jalilipour, published my Montez Press.

Read more

Study Day: At a Crossroads

03 Oct 2026

Join us for a group walk, followed by food and discussion, exploring walking, public space and governance with Mark Farid.

Read more

Thinking Images: A Short Course in Video Essay Production

10 Sep 2026 - 25 Mar 2027

Five-week course with film scholar and video essayist Dr. Darren Elliott-Smith, exploring the innovative practice of Video Essay creation as a cutting-edge development in film criticism.

Read more

Live Art Bookshop: Globus Hystericus Book Launch

22 Jul 2026

Join us for the UK launch of performance art duo Kainulainen & Latva’s book Globus Hystericus, published in 2025 by Finnish publishing house Taide.

Read more

Donation

£