Hold yr ache 2 my ache

Hold yr ache 2 my ache uses sound, dance and text to search for cadence of resilience. At the centre of the artistic research is the motif of a wholesome corporeality in constant negotiation with the constraints of productivity, structural oppression as well as the appeals of affect (‘simply feeling it all’).

The artists are working in the junctions of hope and desperation of their own embodied conditioning, maintaining an inquiry towards performative strategies that utilise ‘masks’ (such as the pseudo and the faking) that could allow truths to reveal. They study possible ways of activating a soul and unravelling of presence and memory; collective and personal. Movement, voice and text serve as the elemental building blocks of the expressive repertoire and the work in the studio holds space for imagination, criticism, desire, grief, pain and intimacy.

What does it mean to acknowledge the agency of emotional and somatic experience in staying with what is present, and in placing this agency in the centre of how they live in and relate to an unjust and lethal system? They maintain as students to what has been said and felt before by thinkers, feelers, activists and mothers* who have rendered each other capable through friendship and conflict that can lead to emotional and political revelations.

Following a 2 weeks residency Zeynab Kirikou Gueye, Lau Lukkarila and Marika Peura present a work-in-progress showing of their new creation, accompanied by performance doula Claire Lefèvre.

Zeynab Kirikou Gueye (they/them) (*26.5.1999, Prague) is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, sound technician, community organizer, and a DJ based in Vienna. Their practice is influenced by their interest in naturalcultural ecologies, research in postcolonial studies and the abilities to dream of visionary futurisms amidst social depression. Since 2017, they are articulating the intersections of their different artistic and curious practices mainly through the study of music, performance, and the politics of the dancefloor, and through collaboration with artists and researchers on interdisciplinary and frequently politically involved projects.
Lau Lukkarila (they/them) is a choreographer and performer based in Vienna, born by the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia in Finland. They are dedicated to exploring the nuances of engaged awkwardness, transcending discomfort and embracing emphatic and visceral terrains of interaction. From 2008 to 2013 Lukkarila studied in the University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki and in the Royal Higher College of Performing Arts in Madrid. Recent works include “Never Underestimate the Calmness in My Voice on My Face” (2024) with Zeynab Kirikou Gueye and “Lapse and the Scarlet Sun” (2023) with Luca Bonamore. Lukkarila’s work has been shown at ImPulsTanz Festival (AU), Kunstraum Niederösterreich (AU), imagetanz (AU), XS-Festival (FI), Smoqua (CR) and supported by brut Wien, Tanzquartier Wien, Kone Foundation and the EU Creative Crossroads - Life Long Burning Creative Europe program. As „Schoßhund“ they have published three internet EP’s: Super Like (2019), HUFKLANG (2020) and HEAVYCRUSH (2022).

Val Holfeld (they/them, no pronouns) is a curator*, costume- & set designer* and works as a art educator* in vienna. They graduated in art education and currently studies contextual painting at the academy of fine arts in vienna. In their curatorial work, they use humor and playful imagery in reference to pop- and queer culture to question binary structures. In 2023 Val founded the Off Space Kollektiv Zirkusgasse together with 5 artists. The collective showcases emerging FLINTA* artists and views the curatorial practice as a stage in which care work and theatrical happening meet in a new way. They worked as a production manager at Schauspielhaus Wien in cooperation with Wien Modern (2023), Bregenz Festival (2020- 2022) and has collaborated with set-& costume designers in various plays mainly in german speaking theatres. Recently a collaboration in costume design with Christof Hetzer was seen at Nikikai Opera Foundation in Tokyo 2023.

Claire Lefèvre (she/her) is a choreographer, writer with insomnia and reality TV enthusiast who lives in Vienna. She likes to think of herself as a host, welcoming collaborators and spectators into kitsch landscapes where politics and poetry are intertwined. In 2019-2022 she explored the concept of 'radical softness' as a choreographic strategy, understanding hypersensitivity as a method, theme and portal for imagining (the) work. She is currently exploring the archetype and working methods of a performance doula, a role designed to de-visibilise care work in the context of performance making. In 2017 Claire was awarded the BKA Start Scholarship for Music and Performing Arts and in 2019 she was awarded the Tanzquartier Training Scholarship. Between 2020-2021 Claire was one of three artists in residence at K3/Kampnagel in Hamburg (DE). Her work has been shown at March Hare Festival (IS), Dance Days Chania (GR), TanzHafen (AT), Imagetanz (AT), Tanzhochdrei (DE), Fluctoplasma (DE) and YUP (DE) and supported by Life Long Burning, Im_Flieger, Tanzzentrale Nürnberg, Wien Kultur, WUK, brut Wien, Huggy Bears, NadaLokal and Tanzfabrik.

Laura Hähnel (she/they) is a Berlin-based producer, combining their academic background in cultural and media education from Hochschule Merseburg with their commitment to social engagement and event organisation. They initially embarked on their career with diverse projects, including initiatives such as Hilfebus Leipzig and curating events in local clubs in Leipzig and Dresden. After gaining valuable experience as a production assistant at CTM Festival, they took on leading production roles for festival venues such as Berghain. Currently, their focus lies on overseeing art, festival, and tour productions, collaborating with artists like Caroline Polachek and Eartheater, and contributing to esteemed festivals like WHOLE, melt, and Performing Arts Festival Berlin.