A Live Art and Feminism Edit-a-thon

Friday 25th April, 2014

1pm to 6pm

White Building, Hackney Wick

Free, but please register your interest on [email protected]

Join LADA and our Restock Rethink  Reflect Three collaborator Lois Weaver for a free Wikipedia edit-a-thon on Live Art and Feminism. The afternoon will present an opportunity for discussion, raising awareness of feminist artists and practices, and training and advice on effective article-writing will be available from Wikimedia UK trainers. Refreshments will be provided.

In her seminal essay ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?’ (1971), Linda Nochlin fiercely critiques dominant institutions of art and education as being organised according to structures of patriarchy that are socially exclusive, and serve to reinforce privilege. Though there is, and has been, an enormous wealth of women artists working in every form, their practices continue to be disproportionately obscured from our attention. For live artists, the question of (in)visibility in the arts is even more manifest, where fleeting moments must be captured, documented, published and distributed in order to create and continue wider cultural presence and conversations.

Unlike Nochlin and other feminists active in the 1970s, we now have the benefit of new ways of collectively forming and sharing information online through openly editable encyclopaedias such as Wikipedia. Though Wikipedia is used by millions of people, many articles relating to art and feminism are fragmentary or non-existent. Initiatives to tackle these absences have been gathering:  this year on International Women’s Day, the Women’s Art Library at Goldsmiths, University of London held an event to improve Wikipedia articles on women’s art practices. In New York in February, Eyebeam held their edit-a-thon on feminism in contemporary art to tackle Wikipedia’s ‘gender trouble’ and lack of women contributors.

Please bring your own laptop where possibleand an idea of which articles you would like to create or improve may also be handy.

Here are some ideas for inspiration:

Articles that don’t yet exist

  • Feminist performance / feminist live art
  • Monica Ross
  • Rose Finn-Kelcey
  • Carlyle Reedy
  • Rajni Shah
  • Marcia Farquhar
  • Ann Liv Young
  • Hayley Newman
  • Sonia Knox
  • Catherine Elwes
  • Monica Mayer

Articles that need improving

  • Bobby Baker
  • Anne Bean
  • Sonia Boyce
  • Rose English
  • Tina Keane
  • Split Britches
  • Kira O’Reilly

… And many more!

This event is part of Restock, Rethink, Reflect Three: on Live Art and Feminism.  Part of this project consists of research into ‘Live Art, Feminism, and the Archive’ in collaboration with Lois Weaver, QMUL. Supported by Creativeworks London, as part of a project to enhance LADA’s Study Room holdings on Live Art and Feminism.

To continue the dialogue, the edit-a-thon will be followed by the second Long Table on Live Art and Feminism. Participants of the edit-a-thon are encouraged to stay for the discussion.

 

Live Art and Feminism Edit-a-thon and Long Table Update

 

New articles were created on Wikipedia related to the artists Heather Cassils, Siobhán Clancy, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Amanda Heng, Lois Keidan, Monica Mayer, Sinead O’Donnell, Anne Seagrave, Rajni Shah and Lois Weaver.

Articles on Aideen Barry, Anne Bean, Sonia Boyce, Split Britches and Mierle Laderman Ukeles were also expanded and improved upon. More information on who took part and links to all the new and expanded articles can be found on the dedicated Wikipedia WikiProject page.

An article on the event entitled ‘Editing Ourselves into History: A Live Art and Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon’ featuring responses from Lois Weaver, Eleanor Roberts, Jen Harvie and Alex Eisenberg is now available to read on the Contemporary Theatre Review website.

Banner image credit:

Photograph: Alex Eisenberg

Part of Restock, Rethink, Reflect Three: on Live Art and Feminism

Marking the impact of performance on feminist histories and contemporary gender politics

Restock, Rethink, Reflect Three: on Live Art and Feminism

Marking the impact of performance on feminist histories and contemporary gender politics

Read more

A Long Table on Live Art and Feminism

An experimental discussion format led by Lois Weaver on relations between performance and feminism.

Read more

An Evening on Live Art, Feminism and the Archive

Cocktail Seminar and the London launch of ‘re.act.feminism ♯2’

Read more

Editing Ourselves into History: A Live Art and Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

An article related to LADA’s ‘Live Art and Feminism Edit-a-thon’

Read more
Ongoing

I Wasn’t There

A new series of LADA screening programmes drawing on the large holdings of documentation in our Study Room

Read more

Just Like a Woman

A programme for City of Women Festival 2013 on the performance of identity.

Read more

Just Like A Woman: London Edition

Shows, debates, installations and screenings looking at the performance of identity; at Chelsea Theatre, London

Read more

Just Like A Woman: London Edition Programme

Performances, screenings, installations and discussions at Chelsea Theatre looking at the performance of gender

Read more

Just Like A Woman: NYC Edition

Shows, debates, installations & screenings looking at the performance of identity; at Abrons Arts Center, New York

Read more

Just Like A Woman: NYC Edition Programme

Three-day programme of shows, installations, cabarets and discussions looking at the performance of identity

Read more
Ongoing

Live Art, Feminism and the Archive

We are working with Lois Weaver and Ellie Roberts to develop the materials we hold on feminist practices

Read more

Long Table on Feminism Documentation

Documentation from the event facilitated by Lois Weaver

Read more

Long Table on Live Art and Feminism documentation now available

A Long Table on Live Art and Feminism hosted by Lois Weaver

Read more

Old Dears

Performances & debates on the radical practices of an older generation of artists; at Chelsea Theatre, London

Read more

Old Dears

Performances, screenings and discussions on the influential practices of an older generation of artists

Read more

Old Dears:
 performance, conversation and films about feminism and age

Performance by Liz Aggiss followed by a conversation and screening of seminal works by older women artists

Read more
Ongoing

re.act.feminism

A living archive and exhibition project on feminism and performance art

Read more

Also

LADA 20th Anniversary 2019

LADA marks its 20th anniversary in 2019 and will be celebrating with a series of initiatives throughout the year

Read more

PERFORMANSSI 2011, Turku, Finland

The Agency curates An Audience With…for European Capital of Culture.

Read more

Labour Practices: Ethics of Service and Ideas of Labour in Performance

A panel on the ways artists use ideas of service and labour as creative strategies as part of At Your Service.

Read more
Ongoing

Reimagining Care

LADA’s latest project Reimagining Care focuses on contemporary discourses about care and care practices, exploring how they can contribute to transforming the art sector.

Read more

LADA at Hackney WickEd 2014

a pop-up Study Room as part of the Hackney Wicked Art Festival

Read more

LADA at the London Art Book Fair 2013

An annual event which celebrates the best of international contemporary art publishing

Read more

Critical Practice 6

A debate organised by Total Theatre.

Read more

Floating Cinema – A Smaller Sound, A Bigger Crowd

A film and performance by Ian Giles telling the story of The Docklands Bell

Read more