From the Object to the Concept
A workshop performance lead by Alba Soto [spain]

MON 03 APR >WED 05 APR | 6-9P | group workshops
TUE 04 APR > SAT 08 APR | anytime | one-on-one sessions
FRI 07 APR | 6-9P trial and design = putting the performance together
SAT 08 APR | 2-4P rehearsal | 4-6P break | 7PM performance

Alba Soto is an artist working and living in Madrid, Spain. Dr. Soto holds a Phd in Fine Arts and is a specialist in interdisciplinary and performing tools for creation and teaching. She served as the chairperson and as a professor of Fine Arts at Universidad Nebrija from 2009 to 2015 and has conducted workshops and seminars at universities around the world, including the Kymenlaakson University of Applied Sciences in Finland; the UCA University for the Creative Art in the UK; Hochschule für Künste Bremen in Germany; and Universidad de los Andes in Colombia. Alba is an actively working artist and her practice is underpinned by intuition, spontaneity and surprise as a survival strategy. Her performances, video art and drawings have been showcased at a number of national and international festivals and exhibitions.

PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKSHOP
Create and share a performance individually or in group at Defibrillator

In this workshop we will work with concrete Object that we choose, as an excuse to rediscover basic elements: space, presence, material, consciousness of tempo; and to find new ways to express interest, desire, ideas, concerns, etc.

*Why Objects? Because they are charged with symbolism that offers us relationships, narratives, and images. Because they surround us and define our way of life, they are powerful, we can find them in everywhere, they have very different utilities and could be exactly equal to play with repetitions.

We will work with the diversity and particularity of each student throughout the process of this workshop. The final performance will be designed by the participants. Alba Soto’s teaching philosophy is based on an individualized method, which she believes enables the most effective training.

Objectives:

– Find new points of view and different approaches in art-making.

– Strengthen our artistic work through reinforcing the basic elements of contemporary art.

– Support confidence, quality of attention, sensory perception, focus, and performance.

– Learn about yourself through shared collaborative and parallel processes.

– Adapt your artistic work to a particular space and context.

ALBA SOTO ARTIST STATEMENT

For me it’s about the essentials: breathe, the alternation of disciplines; I shift between drawing and performance, feeding off video and painting as well. Expressing myself through any one single medium drains me; one way of communicating makes me feel exhausted. Therefore, my specialty relies on a variety of processes and the flexibility of techniques. This alleged dispersion concretizes a particular universe, one in which all things relate to each other. It weaves a coherent narrative underpinned by intuition, spontaneity and surprise as strategies for survival.

My performative universe begins with my surrounding reality.
Through direct contact with the space and the audience, the most intimate experiences are healed through the act of performance. These experiences, questions, and desires, are first symbolically constructed, then ritualized with inevitable tints of irony.

Meanwhile, the universe of my visual art is formed through an opposite process. I generate images that come from subconscious impulses; a kind of psychic rattling, spiritual and dreamy, that I must complete and step back from in order to analyze and understand.

I use my work to produce change in patterns. I work in pursuit of freedom, wishing to find myself as I am, discover new possibilities, and distance myself from artifice. I reclaim my own prerogative to express myself. I reclaim what I am with the greatest possible frankness. As I work, I hear the voice of Emily Dickinson whispering, “I live in possibility”…

FEES AND DEADLINES

Workshop fee is $50 | Early bird registration before midnight MON 27 MAR is $40 | Registration in advance is recommended but you may also show up on the first day, MON 03 APR @6P. Maximum capacity is 15 and a minimum of 5 participants are needed in order for the workshop to take place. To register visit https://albasotoworkshop.eventbrite.com/

SCHOLARSHIP

Dr. Soto will select three applicants for full or partial scholarships based on potential impact on artistic practice and financial need. To apply, fill out this form: https://goo.gl/forms/Jevm0RPxhYWVYZCm1. Deadline for scholarship applications is WED 29 MAR at midnight.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

This is a physical workshop and all skill levels and people with disabilities are welcomed. Defibrillator is a ground level storefront and is accessible. Participants should wear loose comfortable clothing in layers for warmth, cooling, or cushion. There will be filtered water available to refill your bottle and you may want to bring a yoga mat (optional). Please refrain from perfumes or heavily scented products. If coming from out of town, we can recommend affordable accommodation in the vicinity. Contact MichaelBridges@DFBRL8R.org for more information.

Defibrillator is made possible with support from the Martha Strutters Farley and Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation; DFBRL8R Board of Directors; the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Performance; and generous contributions from those who attend exhibitions.

Official Website

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Tags: Alba Soto, Chicago, Dfbrl8r, West Town