Do our practices and systems within the performing arts sector support or hinder a strong democracy?
Do our practices and systems within the performing arts sector support or hinder a strong democracy? Led by two of the artists behind asses.masses, Patrick Blenkarn and David Mesiha, participants in this workshop will collaborate to answer this question and to playfully imagine new experiences, stories, games, and processes that might foster new forms of democratic practices within the performing arts and our society at large.
Patrick Blenkarn is an artist working at the intersection of performance, game design, and visual art. Often engaging with the politics of participation and interactivity, his recent works feature sustained investigations into the subjects of language, labour, democracy, and the art economy, with projects ranging in form from video games and card games to stage plays and books. His work has been featured in film festivals, galleries, and performance festivals across Canada, and recently in Argentina, Mexico, Germany, and the Arctic. He is the Producer for The Elbow Theatre in Vancouver and one half of Guilty by Association. Patrick has a degree in philosophy, theatre, and film from the University of King's College and an MFA in interdisciplinary art from Simon Fraser University.
David Mesiha (he/him) is a Toronto & Vancouver based award winning Composer | Sound Designer | Mixed media Artist. He is known for his music composition and multimedia installations alike. David's artistic practice has often seen him take on a collaborative role in the total conception, co-creation and realization of work with particular sensitivity to dramaturgy as well as immersive audio-visual design. David’s work has received critical acclaim across multiple mediums, including theatre, film, and video games. David is co-artistic director of Theatre Conspiracy in Vancouver.