One of the key necessities to develop together in Oblivia always has been: spending time together in the same space. Enough of it. Physically. In the studio, some rehearsal stage or stage, in the kitchen during breaks, on the way back home or to some hotel or to the supermarket fetching lunch. During the last months, none of this was possible, as for many of us.
So we started attempts of working together apart. To meet in online meetings, to give tasks to each other, even working in two different studios with a constant online connection. Something, that usually was just there now had to be created: common space. It had a different, maybe more complex architecture, consisting of different physicals spaces, different online tools and applications but also, even though we were apart: of movement, language and imagination.
Even though I really like the simplicity of just being able to hang out together, I much enjoyed that we created a new workspace, relating analogue and digital elements. A lot of digital tools make us think that they already are a space. But they are not designed for our work, which is not a problem, but basically makes them just one piece of a puzzle that can be part of a space if used in a way that contributes something to our work.
Many artists that work independently have been surprisingly adaptable to whatever working condition was given to them in the past years. Even during a crisis that prevented us from being in the same space. This ability should not be exploited, it should be rewarded. By thinking of artists as experts when it comes to the idea of creating environments. By giving them space in the city. By creating programs that allow artists, not only to produce results on digital platforms but to enable them to build the workspaces they need. Analogue, digital, both. To bring them together with experts, so artists and (digital) architects can make space together. Space that can be useful for them, but also for everyone else. Space we can share.
