Šárka Pavelková
Name of your organisation: Farm in the Cave, o.s.
Website of your organisation: http://www.infarma.info/
How is your organisation funded?
Farm in the Cave, o.s. is funded by City of Prague on granting basis for individual projects or for all year art activities, could be partnership organizational relationship on larger events, like festivals etc. Ministry of Culture of the Czech republic supports us on similar basis as City of Prague, also supports artistic scholarships of our foreign members – i.e. South Korean. European Volunteer Service supports the stay of our volunteers in the organizational or artistic section. The International Visegrad Fund supports our individual projects focusing on Easter European subjects, cooperation or volunteers. European Union CULTURE 2000 supported a year round multicultural project called “Search for message”.
Explain what your organisation is about
Farm in the Cave, o.s. is a multi-awarded International Theatre Studio based in Prague whose main activity is creation of theatre performances based on bodily articulation of what cannot be expressed by word, by any other medium. They aim at an immediate effect and the authenticity of the here and now. Their performances have become internationally acclaimed. Inspiration is drawn from the irregular terrain of music, from the torsos of cultural manifestations, from the human touch, from the architecture of space and urgent personal and social statement. Their use of sources from minority cultures and tradition of East and Central European theatre. In the light of current globalization and the tendency to unify, the field excursions are perceived as a source of personal ecology. Integral part of its work are also educational activities – workshops and basic research of actors´ art and selected cultural minorities in cooperation with various institutions and artists from all over the world such as for example The Institute for the Research of Drama and Stage of Professor Jaroslav Vostrý, Prague or Centre for the Study of Jerzy Grotowski´s Work and for Cultural and Theatrical Reasearch, Poland.
Farm in the Cave´s residence “PRESLOVA 9” in Prague is a working space where all these events take place and in the nearest future wants to establish an official Independent Creative Art Space – Residence, first of its kind in Prague. Space for theatre, film, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, residential creation of new artistic projects for artists selected from all over the world.
Farm in the Cave´s prestigious awards:
2007 – “The Prize of the RESPEKT Magazine for the strongest dance performance of the season
2006 - “A Fringe First” by the Scottish newspaper The Scotsman and The Fringe Society - “A Herald Angel Award” by the British Newspaper The Herald – “Total Theatre Award” by the British leading Total Theatre Magazine – “Main Award of the Alfred Radok´s Prize” for the best performance of the year - “Main Award Velijka Marcice” at the International Small Scenes Theatre Festival in Rijeka, Croatia
2005 – “Prize for Movement-based Theatre” of the Theatre News
2004 – “European Enlargement of Minds Annual Award” of the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam
- “I-theatre poll – Different Theatre Act”
Describe how your organisation is engaged in international cooperation and exchange
Farm in the Cave´s members and collaborators are selected from different countries from all over the world (as well as mention in above section) – France, South Korea, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain or Argentina.
Among our other activities are based on the idea of Multicultural Residence which offers to the people of Prague cultural events unique world artists into this metropolitan city and give them the chance to see their work (ie Leilani Weis, Chile; Dulsori ritual drummers, South Korea), attend their lectures (ie Professor Leszek Kolankiewicz, Poland; Director of Odin Teatret Eugenio Barba, Denmark), work under their leadership (Mariana Sadovska, Germany/Ukraine, Javier Cura, Argentina), see world film premiers which are made under Farm in the Cave´s projects (ie Expedition for Joik, Dir. Dana Rusnoková, Slovakia; This is…, dir. Robo Šveda, Slovakia).
As mentioned integral part of its work are also educational activities – public workshops within which we cooperate with different artists and organizations from all over the world – ie Centre for the Study of Jerzy Grotowski´s Work and for Cultural and Theatrical Research, Poland; Evoé Performing Artists (Mariana Sadovska), Germany; Jus de la Vie (Charlotta Ofverhom), Sweden; Truc sphérique, Slovakia; Odin Teatret, Denmark.
With above mentioned acossiations Farm in the Cave just finished a year-round multicultural project supported by European Union CULTURE 2000 called “Search for message”. All participants share the interest in the cross cultural and multi genre art production, which is based on personal and highly individual perception of history, traditions, rituals or an atmosphere of a certain place. Several research expeditions will be carried out within the project.
Farm in the Cave also during its host performances on world festivals – Germany, Poland, Croatia, Spain, Argentina, Holland, South Korea, Austria, Great Britain, Ireland; in the nearest future USA, Brazil, Columbia, China – leads its own workshops based on the concept of daily exercise and on the process of creation of their performances. After getting acquainted with the basic aspects of the BODY-RHYTHM-VOICE training, the work usually focuses on expression and montage.
In frames of these workshops led abroad Farm in the Cave manages to look for new foreign members of the company to keep up with the multinational member tradition.
Describe how your art space relates to the local community. If you are about to open an art space, explain how you related to the local community in your previous experiences
Farm in the Cave´s residence “PRESLOVA 9” in Prague is a working space where all these events take place and in the nearest future wants to establish an official Independent Creative Art Space – Residence, first of its kind in Prague. Space for theatre, film, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, residential creation of new artistic projects for artists selected from all over the world.
As mentioned in the above sections Farm in the Cave is an International Theatre Studio that next to its own performances (Dark Love Sonnets and Waiting room – performed at ROXY/NoD, Prague; SCLAVI/The Song of an Emigrant and Farm in the Cave – WORK DEMO performed at Švandovo theatre in Prague) offers to wide public of all ages its own workshops, as described above, as well as organize workshops of exceptional artists from all over the world, as mentioned above. Among other activities we can count world theatre and film premiers, lectures, concerts or street performances which are essential parts of any larger cultural events organized by Farm in the Cave, ie Festival FARMA 2007.
All these activities are based on the idea of Multicultural Residence which would offer to the people of Prague cultural events unique world artists into this metropolitan city and give them the chance to see their work (ie Leilani Weis, Chile; Dulsori ritual drummers, South Korea), attend their lectures (ie Professor Leszek Kolankiewicz, Poland; Director of Odin Teatret Eugenio Barba, Denmark), work under their leadership (Mariana Sadovska, Germany/Ukraine, Javier Cura, Argentina), see world film premiers which are made under Farm in the Cave´s projects (ie Expedition for Joik, Dir. Dana Rusnoková, Slovakia; This is…, dir. Robo Šveda, Slovakia). As they did for example during mentioned festival in May 2007, Festival FARMA 2007. We would also like to look for cultural minorities within the City of Prague itself – we organize a concert for immigrant communities as the topic has touched us within the research for the performance SCLAVI/The Song of an Emigrant.
Educational activities would cross the former boarders and we would look for the activities touching even younger generations such would be children from hospices.
What are the major internal and external challenges your organisation is facing?
The main challenge is to convince the City of Prague board to believe in our ideas and to be able to rebuild the space “PRESLOVA 9” into the real Residential Centre which would be able to welcome all the public as well as the artists and to give them space to create art, to life with art and to understand and welcome art.
The biggest challenge is the find finances, the right people to collaborate from the State board and collaborator on the organizational side of the structure. To be able in the nearest years to convince the State institutions that such a Residential centre for art is needed as well for them not only for the general public.
Our festival this year was structured to show that such dramaturgy is welcomed and needed in Prague and that wide public would be demanding it even in the future. And we managed to gain this goal.
Nearly every year challenge for Farm in the Cave is a new production of the company as well as good presentation of present performances on a prestigious foreign festival in the world, as above mentioned.
What are the main achievements and strengths of your organisation?
Main achievements are above mentioned awards which brought us a precious international acclaim. Achievement of Farm in the Cave is that from 6 years ago they managed to stay together and grow out of a small group of people that didn’t have a place and recognition and had a hard life of theatre-makers a strong team of individuals as well as creators and organizers which leads the company into new and new projects and opens every time the door into new life knowledge, borders, fields and cultures.
Great achievement is the residential building “PRESLOVA 9” which gives space to the company work as well as opens to wide range of international as well as local art projects, as mentioned above, and gives the possible future to the official Independent Creative Art Space – Residence, first of its kind in Prague.
