There There, the performance company made up of one Romanian and one Serb, came to life in late 2010. We met at the MA Performance Making at Goldsmiths, graduated, and took a punt at working together. In the last 5 (and a half) years we made work for the Museum of London, travelled up and down the country (including to SPILL and Experimentica), received Arts Council support and branched out into research. You can catch us next at Rich Mix on Friday 18 March.

Here are some other things that happened since we started working together:

We didn’t have to look for those pictures - we have them safely stored in our ever-growing archives (folder name: ‘inspiration’).

Our practice is a combat against the constant immigrant vilification that radiates from the media and shapes the political conversation. Once, for a piece called Text HOME, we put on masks of politicians, dressed up as old Eastern European ladies, and went into the streets to disperse immigration advice. The masks meant we couldn’t talk, but we heard the good, the bad and the ugly about immigrants and politicians and were privy to honest, direct conversations about heated topics.  

Here we are in the streets of Cardiff, blending in with rugby fans:

(photo: Adam Chard)

And here’s a special Eastern European pre-election get together at the Romanian Cultural Centre (our audiences donned the masks for empowerment reasons).

(photo: Sofia Villanueva)

While we’re at it, here’s a Timeline of Eastern European presence in the UK we made; it charts all the headlines and news items of the last ten years:

Right now we’re working on a performance called Eastern Europeans for Dummies, a piece that dissects immigrant stereotypes, subverts them and exposes their ridiculousness. It features two real Eastern Europeans, Western and Eastern preconceptions alike, a very English narrator and job-stealing games. It’s a look behind the threat Theresa May swears we pose to national coherence - we want to step behind the headlines we collect so diligently and have one of those honest conversations: about immigration, integration and alienation.

So - come tell us what you really think. Eastern Europeans for Dummies is at Rich Mix on Friday 18 March 2016.

therethere.eu

Eastern Europeans for Dummies
Friday, 18 March 2016 (4.30pm, 7.30pm)
Rich Mix
35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road
London E1 6LA
Tickets and info: richmix.org.uk

There There is a 50% Romanian 50% Serbian performance company, conjured up in London by Dana Olarescu and Bojana Jankovic.
 
Their work explores topics that emerge at the intersection of personal experiences and big-picture policy and politics, including immigration, immigrant and national identities. Their practice spans performances, installations, interventions, audience development and research.