Hi there,
I gave the Knowledge Base a new structure, now forming two big chapters:
And I wrote a new general entry about the theme of
following up on the sessions I led with Kim-José Bode in spring this year. There is of course much more to be said about this theme, so please add!
Hi everybody,
in the wake of last week’s post a number of people reacted, willing to help and share the weekly hire, and this means we are able to keep the Thursday afternoon slot in the Vredenburger Studios for the Carpet Sessions this season – Thanks a lot!
So, like last year – if you have an Instant Composition research topic you would like to pursue, or an issue related to Interdisciplinary Improvisation performance that you would like to work out, you are welcome to get in touch and be hosted by the Carpet Sessions in Amsterdam!
Looking forward to this season, with greetings,
Thomas
Hi everybody,
after the question of the studio hire that I posted at the beginning of this summer, I had talks with a number of Carpet session people and it seems that those who are willing to share the costs of the Thursday afternoon studio are too few in number (even if it would only mean 5 euro a month and would give those people free access to the studio).
Nothing to do about it. So let us see how everything will work without a fixed studio.
If you think – “WAIT! – You didn’t ask me! I think we should keep it, and by the way I could very well make use of a cheap studio in the centre of Amsterdam”, let me know veeery quickly. 🙂
As for now, the Interdisciplinary Improvisation Research will continue this season in a more flexible way. The up-side is: there could be Carpet Sessions any place in town, including those better equipped to work with light for example. I will also look into the possibility of hiring a 4 hour slot once a month, so we keep a connection with this charming spot that we have been working in for 2 1/2 years now.
Let’s see what this season will bring.
Former sessions leaders: If you would like to continue your research theme with new sessions, or even dig into something new, just let me know.
Anyone else: If you are a professional improviser who would like to propose a research topic, lead a session or expand our Knowledge Base, don’t hesitate to get in touch. I am very happy to keep facilitating in any way I can.
Looking forward to the growing content and insights we will be gathering!
all the best, Thomas
PS: Because of the nature of the contract, we will have the Thursday afternoon studio for another two months, anyway. So for the period until beginning of November, sessions can be planned in the familiar way.
Hi everybody,
summer break is here after an eventful year of sessions, and I thought this might be a good time to update the improvisation Knowledge Base here on the website.
I will add soon articles about Duration/Time-Span and about Conducting, which I didn’t come round to reflect on during the season.
If you’ve been leading sessions, please consider to spend an afternoon contributing something about your subject (also if you participated, by the way, you are very welcome 🙂 )
And also for those of you who follow us from far around the globe, please have a read through the Knowledge Base (via the menu) and let me know if you have things to say, correct, add.
Looking forward to more research, reflection and knowledge building together with you in the next season.
Have a great summer,
Thomas
Dear improvisation researchers,
the season is coming to a close with the summer-break in July and August, and as every year I will have to decide whether to rent the studio (on Thursday afternoons) for another whole season.
This year I feel I definetly need your help in the decision, so please read on.
The arguments for and against are mainly:
+ It is great to have such a pleasant. low-priced studio in the middle of Amsterdam and the weekly slot of available studio time is a good incentive to organise sessions (no extra work to set something up).
– As there are also a lot of Thursdays that we are not using the studio, I am losing money on it. One could argue that our project/this website does not necessarily need a fixed, weekly studio and we could organise things in another way.
I personally still believe that it is a great good to have the studio and therefore have a ‘home’: For the pleasurable feeling of returning (to the work and to the company of great people 🙂 ), and also because the available time every week ‘asks’ to be used and therefore things are more likely to happen.
What I imagine would help is if there would be more people who would shoulder with me the financial risk of the studio being (not) used – or who would be interested to use the studio on days that it is not used for Carpet sessions.
So my concrete question is this:
Would you be willing to become part of a circle of Carpet Session supporters, so that the financial pressure is taken a little bit off me for the coming season?
It would mean something between 5 and 10 euro a month to share the basic costs (depending on how big this circle is), and it would give you free acces to a very nice studio whenever it is not being used. Next to this, the per-session-contribution for joining Carpet Sessions would fall away for you.
We can, inside this supporters-circle, decide together how to exactly divide the money and use the income from Carpet-Sessions, etc…
Please let me know if you would be up for this (you can also write me an e-mail if you prefer, or use the Contact page)
Any other comments, encouragements or wise words concerning this question are also very welcome.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Thomas
Be welcome tomorrow afternoon (Thursday 2nd of May, 13:00-17:00) for the last of the three sessions we did to research the phenomenon of Duration/Time-span as it applies to interdisciplinary improvisation performance.
Look here for the original post/invitation.
You can still join the session tomorrow, just write a comment to this post to announce yourself. If you haven’t been before, do include your performance discipline, so we have an idea of the group we will work with.
See you tomorrow!
Thomas + José
What are the Carpet Sessions? / Where is the studio? (click here)
There’s a new improvisation initiative in town: The Pool
It’s switching location monthly from Muiderpoort Theatre to Overtoom 301
This week Sunday we are tackling the theme of RISK/MISTAKES:
21st April 13.30-17.30 hOvertoom 301THE POOL – jump into the jamLeaders: Thomas Johannsen (dance), Gabor Csongradi (Music), Makiko Ito (Light), Margherita Landi (observation group).Theme: Mistakes/RiskContribution €5Be welcome!info: www.stknopen.comnext Pool session after this one: 19.05.2013 Muiderpoort theater
Tomorrow the second session on the surprisingly visceral subject of Duration/Time in Improvisation Performance. (Look here for the original post)
Anybody is welcome to join (the theme is much more approachable than we thought) – just let us know by commenting on this post if you would like to participate.
studio open at 13:00 / session time: 13:30-17:00
What are the Carpet Sessions? / Where is the studio? (click here)
To report from the first session:
One thing we discovered were the different modes of experiencing/working with time as an improvisation performer:
– Using the feel of ‘daily’ time (waiting-room time, one thing after the other, no performance mode)
– Creating time and duration in ‘performance mode’ (the power of drawing attention with your actions and create a sense of duration/tension – expectation, suspense, conclusion, playing with timing
– Falling into timeless moments (something that you cannot create at will, but which happens seemingly ‘out of nothing’ – it is however possible to make the appearance of these moment more likely)
We also looked at the seductive quality of repetition (and the challenges to a performer to work repetitions ‘well’).
Tomorrow, we will continue where we left off.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Thomas + José
Hello there!
On 21st of March, we start a new cycle of three sessions titled DURATION/TIME-SPAN
21-03 / 04-04 / 11-04 — 13:00-17:00
We would like to look at the passing of time in improvisation performance. A common issue in performance is the difference in perception of time between performers on the one hand and audience members on the other hand. Performers can think that something already took too long, while the audience is still totally happy – and vice versa. How to deal with that common discrepancy?
Is there a way to perceive time together with the audience? Is there a way to “create time”, to slow it down or even open up a space of no-time? And how is time affected by the fiction or perception of different disciplines on stage?
We are interested to look at this from two – almost opposing – angles: the angle of music and the angle of theater. That having said, we are happy to work with improvisation professionals from any discipline.
What are the Carpet Sessions? / Where is the studio? (click here)
Session leaders are:
Kim-Jose Bode (music/music-theatre)
Thomas Johannsen (theatre/dance/music)
Please let us know if you would like to be involved. We will look at the composition of the group to have nice mix for focussed work. Our preference is that you can join all three sessions.
Looking forward!
José + Thomas
Interdisciplinary Instant Composition 