COPY// Invitation

(in)Xclusion

(in)Xclusion is a creative research project - inspired by recent world events - that seeks to explore the issues of exclusion in its many forms. Navigating the landscapes of performance and documentation, the aim is to celebrate being an outsider. _______________________________________________________________________
Adam Young, Founder of Indivisible, tells COPY writer Joanna Loveday more: How did (in)Xclusion come about as a project? Why now, in 2012? I went to performance matters and trashing performance down in London last year and found there wasnt much of a northern voice at either event which was frustrating. At the time I was there the occupy movement was in place in front of St Pauls Cathedral, I stayed there one night to be part of it. I came back more passionate about the north. We had just graduated from University and we wanted to explore our creative identity as a company. To start to do this, we decided to create (in)Xclusion, to make something happen here, to respond to the current political times we are all living and working in. In the original provocation you describe (in)Xclusion as a creative research project - what is the role of indivisible within that? This is our first Arts Council funded project, our aim is to expose ourselves to working with 39 different artists and their individual artistic practices as well as performing ourselves. What made you decide to go with the 24 hour format to explore the issues of exclusion in its many forms? We have been influenced a lot by the performance art of the 70s and 80s. In the past we have done 72 hour pieces of work, we are interested in duration, in doing as research and in what happens when unrelenting time/space is available. We also felt that with such a politic subject matter it needed this space to truly explore it. It interests me that you would like to open up the space for debate rather than try to provide answers, how are you hoping debate will come about? These 24 hours are a dedicated time and space to have these conversations around exclusion. There are break out areas available, where conversations can take place. There is also a space to respond and reflect in the newspaper commissioned for the event. We are also planning an Artists Talk to take place after the event, this will include some evaluation and be open for anyone to attend (date tbc) at Leeds Met University. Not forgetting online feedback and space for comments at the festival. As well as on the reverse of this very sheet of paper How did you manage the process of selection/rejection of artists proposals and the inevitability of having to exclude people from taking part? We had to exclude some artists as we had 80 applications, including international artists. We only had funding for 24 commissions originally, but went back to the 39 artists we were interested in working with and explained this to them. All 39 still PTO

wished to take part and all of them had an equally valid response to the provocation. I dont see how we could have done it any other way other than to include them all. How have you approached inclusivity in letting people know about the event, and making them feel welcome to attend? This is a really difficult area. The event is free, there is food, and I know we are making every effort to make the event as accessible as possible. This area is what makes it a piece of research in its truest sense. Our partner organisation Emmaus (a residential community of 25 formerly homeless/socially excluded men and women who run a recycling/reuse business with two retail outlets in Leeds) is also really key in this, and in making sure they also come and see the work. East Street Arts is itself a predominantly a visual arts venue, and so in using this venue were opening up a live event and this type of work to new audiences. It sounds like you are taking the mission of the Arts Council Great Art for everyone, and really building this into the creative research of the project... Taken from the mission: As Einstein would have it - If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Tell us your thoughts Please write here any thoughts or responses to the event and/or the above interview. Please hand in completed forms at the entrance. Name: Occupation: