July 21 - 30, 2023
Domaine de la Boderie, France
The Kaimera Lab is a unique opportunity for creative people to come together and delve into the processes of creating, producing and presenting new forms of live performance, particularly focusing on work that is immersive, participatory, site-specific and interdisciplinary.
WHAT
The Kaimera Lab is a 10-day intensive training facilitated by members of the core team of Kaimera Productions. Following the company’s approach and methodology, the training blends fully participative skill-building and knowledge-sharing sessions, with ample opportunities for experimentation and evaluation. Aimed at international artists, the Kaimera Lab is designed for those with prior experience in these approaches, as well as for those getting their first taste.
WHEN & WHERE
The setting for the 2023 Kaimera Lab is the Domaine de la Boderie in Normandy, France. This gorgeous 16th century manor is located in a 12-hectare estate with a pond, meadows and woods, within a protected natural habitat. Beyond its natural beauty, the Domaine de la Boderie has a theater, a dojo, a Japanese pavilion, and a series of other beautiful buildings and exciting places to creatively explore.
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WHEN
July 21-30, 2023
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Participants take part in a series of learning modules, through which they acquire the tools and skills necessary to create work of their own. Learning objectives include:
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Essentials of immersive performance
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Approach to the creation of site-specific work
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Dramaturgy for immersive, participatory, site-specific performance
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Engaging audiences in an immersive setting
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Exploration of acting and performing skills necessary for participatory, immersive work
Participants also have the opportunity to collaborate with one another and experiment with these challenging forms by creating and presenting original immersive experiences of their own.
The Kaimera Lab culminates with a final performance that permits participants to explore all that they learned while presenting their work to residents in the area where the Kaimera Lab takes place.
Kaimera Lab 2022. Video by Navya Sah.
Immersive & Participatory:
Immersive and participatory experiences, which have recently been taking the world by storm, take the audience out of their seats and place them at the center of the playing space. They transform the passive role of the spectator, into that of spect-actor and co-creator who is essential to the action and narrative of the performance. These experiences challenge traditional performance methods and call for a new, more holistic, approach to narrative structure, dramaturgy and ways of performance. At the heart of this training for actors and interdisciplinary performers is the focus on playing with spontaneity and 360° awareness, which is essential when performing in an immersive environment, and when the audience has an integral role within the performance.
In-Situ/Site-Specific:
Artists all over the world are taking their work out of traditional venues and into unconventional and public spaces. The Kaimera team, with its international experience of creating work in site-specific locations, does so for two reasons: first, it allows for greater, more diverse audiences, especially those who may not feel that traditional arts spaces are accessible to them; second, these spaces don’t come with pre-existing rules for engagement and behavior, thus opening up infinite possibilities for participation. The site of the training will provide ample opportunity for participants to experiment with a wide range of indoor and outdoor spaces.
Kaimera Lab was a life changing experience immersed in magic in the pure sense of the word. It was an immersion into the beautiful galaxy of outstanding artistic, professional, and human standards that make you want to fly, shine, believe, and endlessly create uniting individuals and communities all over the globe.
Masha Kapustina-Carriou, Russia (Kaimera Lab 2021 & 2022)
FOR WHOM
The training is designed for professional artists, particularly performing artists (theatre, dance, music, etc.), narrative & experience designers and interdisciplinary artists. Students with a strong track record and commitment are also eligible to apply.
Aligned with Kaimera’s goal of using our work to build bridges between citizens of all corners of the world, this training is open to international artists with the aims of creating connections, fostering dialogue, and encouraging collaborations.
LANGUAGE
The training is facilitated in English, yet artists are encouraged to perform in any language when working on scenes, compositions or the final performance.
ABOUT KAIMERA
Kaimera Productions is a live arts company based in New York and Paris, which creates and produces original performances and immersive experiences that blend theatre, music, dance, multimedia and the visual arts. Kaimera’s cross-disciplinary projects are often presented in public spaces and unconventional settings and its work is of international scope, yet simultaneously deeply rooted in the communities we work with.
A beautifully healing and restorative experience that reminded me of the joy in creating in real time with other multifaceted human beings.
Scout Davis, New York, USA
With over 20 years of teaching experience, education is an integral part of our work and we lead sessions, workshops and intensives on immersive practice and participatory creation processes to professional artists and cultural organisations, as well as to schools and universities.
Kaimera’s holistic approach to its work is aimed at creating spaces where people can gather in dialogue and engage with the topics at hand, as well as with one another, every step of the way. We deeply believe that the arts are a powerful tool that have the ability to provoke meaningful and durable cultural shifts, and that developing work collaboratively and across borders is essential in order to tackle the rapid changes our world is undergoing.
The project is presented in collaboration with Libre Acteur.
Kaimera's 5-year anniversary video released in January 2021, edited by Alice Castro and with music by Nicolas Cerezuelle. Check our multimedia page for more trailers of our exciting projects that followed!
FEES
Training cost: €1750
Food and accommodation: €350
Funding Support: Those in France intending to receive support from Afdas or Pôle emploi,
or others applying for funding support, please email education@kaimeraproduction.com.
Scholarships: Kaimera strives to be as inclusive as possible. For participants not receiving
any external financial assistance, as well as for those traveling from afar, scholarships will be
offered on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to us directly to inquire about these: education@kaimeraproductions.com
Transportation: Participants are responsible for their own transportation to the Domaine de la Boderie, which is approximately 2.5 hours from Paris. Our team can provide advice on transportation options, as well as arrange pick-up from the Flers SNCF train station at an additional fee.
Health & Safety: Any required protocols related to health and safety will be shared with the participants before their travel based on up-to-date recommendations.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel your participation due to health reasons, payment(s) will be refunded in full (excluding non-recoverable costs, such
as bank charges) upon submission of a medical certificate. If you decide to cancel your
participation for any other reason, the deposit payment is non-refundable and all other
payment(s), if any made, will be refunded (excluding non-recoverable costs such as bank
charges).
HOW TO APPLY
Applications to the Kaimera Lab 2023 are accepted only through the online form below
until April 3. Selected participants will hear from us by April 30 at the latest.
For questions related to accessibility, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for
information. We are committed to making our activities accessible for everyone and will do
our best to make special provisions where needed, in order to best meet your needs.
You may contact us at education@kaimeraproductions.com.
We hope that you will be able to join us at the Kaimera Lab and connect with artists and
creatives from far and wide!
Additional quotes from Kaimera Lab participants
Without noticing I was immersed in a sensitive, creative and fulfilling experience. A big thank you for the confidence and trust you have given me to continue working and exploring the immersive (not only) part of the story and also seeing it with fresh new eyes! It was a huge opportunity to meet so many beautiful and talented people from so many different backgrounds.
Silvia Roman, Romania (Kaimera Lab 2021)
The Kaimera Lab felt extremely important to my development as a citizen-artist. Facilitators Simón and Jonathan were wonderfully generous and knowledgeable, and my cohort consisted of artists from all over the world, each with incredibly unique and diverse artistic practices. I gained wonderful new skills from this intensive, but perhaps even more importantly, I am walking away full of inspiration and courage to more fully be the person and artist I aspire to be in this world. For that I am enormously grateful for this experience.
Mark Hairston, Madison, WI, USA (Kaimera Lab 2021 & 2022)
Kaimera Lab is not just a workshop or an internship. It's a whole immersive intense human and artistic experience to live. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have had the opportunity to learn, collaborate and create with all these amazing artists. Thank you so much!
Clémence Gueidan, France (Kaimera Lab 2021)
An absolute dream come true for anyone keen to develop their immersive, site-specific or participatory art practice. Such immense wisdom and facilitation from both Simón and Jonathan and practical learning across a huge range of topics. All this combined with the shared knowledge in the group results in an inspiring, rich and educational time at the chateau....I feel like I've made connections with artists all over the world and revitalised my practice. Couldn't recommend this more.
Harley Hefford, Melbourne, Australia (Kaimera Lab 2021 & 2022)
The combination of artistic fields, experience levels and social awareness creates an exciting, unique and worthwhile cauldron where incredible immersive understanding comes to a boil.
Erik Blair, Los Angeles, CA, USA (Kaimera Lab 2022)
Kaimera Lab was a splendid experience of creation, compassion and curiosity. The coming together of so much diverse and skillful artist in a framework carefully curated by Simón and Jonathan was the best recipe for a few revelations I got along the way. Thank you wonderful people !
Samuel Lepoil, France (Kaimera Lab 2022)
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THE KAIMERA LAB 2022
The second edition of the Kaimera Lab welcomed 15 multidisciplinary artists from Australia, Austria, Canada, Ethiopia, France, India, the Philippines, Russia, the USA, and Vietnam. The 2022 Lab took place at the historic Gorzanów Palace in Poland, a pearl of Renaissance architecture located in the valley of the Sudety mountains.
Hart, Harley Hefford, Fredyl Hernandez, Masha Kapustina, Samuel Lepoil, Catherine "Kitty" Lindsay, Navya Sah, Ralf Schütte, Julie Sikorska, Trà Nguyễn.
The participants were: Erik Blair, Felicia Dotse, Tesfaye Eshetu, Hannah Graham, Mark Hairston, Angela Faith
Read Kaimera's Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine here.
THE KAIMERA LAB 2021
In 2021, 18 multidisciplinary artists from 9 countries across 3 continents gathered to learn, share and create together at the inaugural Kaimera Lab. The Lab took place at the Château de Belloy Saint-Léonard in the serene nature of Picardie in the North of France, culminating with a final performance for residents of the villages surrounding the Château.
The participants were: Maria Pilar
Carreras Romeo, Deniz Çelebic, Yeliz Çelebic, Scout Davis, Melanie Dorey, Aida Economu, Clémence Gueidan, Mark Hairston, Harley Hefford, Masha Kapustina-Carriou, Joyce Lu, Marian Perchet, Yapci Ramos, Elena Odessa Ray, Silvia Roman, Honi Ryan, Andrea Sabariego, Katarina Vojnovic.
The final presentation of the Kaimera Lab 2021 at Château de Belloy Saint-Léonard in France. Video filmed and edited by Andrei Boncea.
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