INSISTER SPACE is an artist driven organisation, platform and network for freelance artists within the field of dance and choreography. We work collectively and continuously to question the conditions and methods of artistic work.
Our vision is to create a broad platform for professional freelance dance artists to share, collect and reorganise artistic practices. We wish to reshape the neoliberal structures in the dance-field – instead of promoting individual artists, we create supportive structures where our members can work with their own interests but in solidarity with each other.
We work to create experimental and solidaric meeting points that value the potential of many. It’s important for us to acknowledge the entire work included in maintaining a professional artistic practice – and treat administrative work with as much criticality and care as the work in the studio.
activites
INSISTER SPACE organizes activities where members can meet, share and develop their artistic work. Every month, we host members meetings with conversations, food and mini lectures. Festivals and residencies for members’ work are also held one to two times a year. We arrange professional morning classes, hosted by our members, every week at höjden. The classes propose a re-thinking of the master-student apparatus, replaced by a format of study circles and a common development of knowledge. All our activities promote constant re-questioning of artistic production and methods; we replace competition with support, and individualism with solidarity.
höjden
INSISTER SPACE has its base at the artist-run studio house höjden in Östberga, Stockholm. At höjden, members are welcomed to use working spaces and get access to studios for a reasonable price thanks to our long term collaboration with höjden. The house is the base for most of INSISTER SPACE’s activities, such as daily training, festivals and residencies. If you are interested in studio space, contact höjden by clicking here .
INSISTER SPACE also has an ongoing collaboration with Skogen in Gothenburg and Danscentrum in Stockholm. If you are interested in hosting us or any of our events in your city or venue, contact us. We wish to create spaces where our members can work, meet and develop together, in a caring, solidaric way and with a critical approach to the freelance reality of the art field.
target group
INSISTER SPACE is an organisation for artists within dance, performance and choreography identifying as non-binary, cis-women, trans-women and trans-men. This target group is made from a clear point of reference, within a profession where the majority of the workers are women but where cis-men have a higher quota for work opportunities, power, resources and space.
Through supporting the work of this target group, the organisation counter, shake and challenge the norms and create a ground for sisterhood. With focus on sustainability and visibility the organisation works for collectively developing the art form.
sisterhood
Sisterhood within this proposal suggests being several together and supporting each other through listening and togetherness. It becomes sisterhood not by being similar, female, agreeing bodies, but rather by staying in proximity and dealing with the frictions and movements that being different together brings. This is not a collective, and everything we say, write and do will be done on the base of disagreement and difference. This is exactly the ground we wish to work on – that of meeting without unifying, supporting without agreeing, being together without being one.
membership
INSISTER SPACE is an organisation for and by its members. We have an elected board that maintains most of the administration. We encourage all members to contribute to, initiate and effect the activities of INSISTER SPACE. Everyone within the target group are welcome to sign up as members for a voluntary fee of 250SEK/year. Before signing up here, we ask you to read about the organization, and apply with a knowledge of our visions, target group and activities. Our members engage in the organization by reading mails, keeping up to date and participating in the ways possible for each person.