Costume Agency Artistic Project

This talk will introduce the artistic research project Costume Agency, in which the artists explore the agency of costume and how costume can generate or be the starting point for a performance. Artistic research offers the opportunity to open up new perspectives and expand the field of performance and performance design. Costume is an unconventional starting point for a performance. What is present from the start, or defined as the main contribution, sets the premises for the work, and team members approach the initial material with curiosity. A process that begins at an untraditional point, such as costume, can offer openness to further development and to the final outcome. If costume is the starting point or driving force for a performance, what is important in the process of unfolding this initial material? What does the costume do and how does one “listen to the costume”? How do you describe the result? This panel focuses on artistic research as a method for developing the field of performance design. Costume Agency (2018 to 2023) is a large-scale project supported by the Norwegian Artistic Research Programme and KHIO. www.costumeagency.khio.no About the speakers Christina Lindgren (Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO), Norway / Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH), Sweden) teaches costume design and is the principal investigator and project leader of Costume Agency. Lindgren is an artistic director/stage designer/costume designer. Sodja Lotker (Prague Performing Arts Academy (DAMU), Czech Republic) is the main researcher of the Costume Agency. She is a dramaturge with a special interest in scenography/costume design. She was the artistic director of PQ from 2008 to 2015. Sally Dean (PhD at Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Norway) is an international artist and teacher in dance, costume design and somatic practices for over 25 years. She designs somatic costumes and immersive sensory performances. Charlotte Østergaard (PhD at Malmö Theatre Academy, Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts, Lund University, Sweden) has designed costumes for 65 performances. In her artistic research, costume functions as a material-discursive “tool” to explore co-creative processes.