Collective residencies / QLGBTI+ / Olot

VERA BOITCOVA

From Monday, 3 February 2020 to Monday, 17 February 2020

VERA BOITCOVA
Performance artist
St-Petersburg

Bio

Performance and video artist, a queer clown and puppeteer, a feminist and LGBT activist. Member of ‘Coming Out’ LGBT-organization (Saint-Petersburg). An immigrant for the last 8 years – lived, studied and worked in England, China and Finland. 

Queen Mary University of London graduate (MA Theatre and Performance, 2015). Kone Foundation art grant recipient (2020 – for ‘Tales of Transformation’ project). Artist in residency: Loviisa Artists’ Studio (Loviisa, Finland, 2019), Hectolitre (Brussels, Belgium, 2019), Saari (Finland, 2020). In recent years performed at Art Muse (Saint-Petersburg), Forum (Loviisa), Birmingham MAC, Battersea Arts Centre, Camden Peoples Theatre, Camden Centre, Brighton Dome, at various Duckie events, and in a number of galleries across the UK and Russia.

Artistic interests include: use of digital technologies in performative practices, macabre and horror tropes, mental health issues representation in art, and documentary storytelling.

Project

‘Tales of Transformation’ is a video/live performance and archive project that explores the possibility of transforming personal traumas, mostly regarding gender, sexuality, and identity issues, into fairytales filled with digital ghosts and video-twins. This project is a form of healing through creative expression, deliberate exaggeration, and looking at personal trauma (or any important experience) from a different angle. The final goal is to create a communal interactive fairytale book, a sort of collection that can be updated whenever a new participant arrives. Another important goal is to increase ‘queer characters visibility’ in the medium.

A Place to Share and Connect

I spent two weeks in Faber Residency (LGBTQ+ theme) in February 2020 working on my Tales of Transformation project. This experience turned out to be even more inspiring and eye-opening that I could imagine. I met some truly wonderful people coming from various countries, research fields, social and political backgrounds, and I believe that the diversity of this program was what made it so special. During the course of those two weeks, each of us had a chance to present our work, share our ideas, ask for advice and opinions. We also had prolonged daily conversations and discussions that surely broadened my understanding of what is currently going on in LGBTQ communities around the world. It felt very important to hear different perspectives, to share and compare experiences, and as a result, to start imagining new ways in which current situation in my local community in Russia can be improved. 

I also enjoyed meeting with local community in Olot and learning their stories, as well as doing a theatre workshop in Girona with a group of amazingly talented Performance students. The latter one was especially important to my professional development, specifically for my current project which requires active participation.

I am very grateful for the opportunity given me by Faber Residency organizers as it allowed me to see beyond what I already knew, to connect with most inspiring artists and researches, and to feel like my own perception has finally started shifting letting me imagine a better future for my community, and giving me hope and positive thoughts. Thank you, Faber, for providing a safe space combined with gorgeous natural surroundings, to share, create, and connect!

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