With Irish Theatre Institute I developed an entirely new kind of international exchange programme for artists working with contemporary performance. Six pairs of artists based in Europe visited each other to learn about each others’ practices and creative communities, while being integrally involved throughout the process and designing each others’ visits.

Following on from the success of Gap Day (developed with Mermaid Arts Centre), we worked from the same basic principles:
– that artists are experts and know what they need better than anyone
– that spending time together informally is a powerful way to make connections
– that hospitality enriches both host and guest
– that well-designed, small-scale interactions can have lasting positive impacts on the practices of everyone involved.

Each artist hosted their counterpart in their home town (Birr, Cork, Galway, Gent, Liverpool, Longford, Utrecht and Waterford) and designed visits that dove into the local arts scene. The programme prioritised local engagement outside of capital cities and embedded flexible support to ensure all artists could take part equally. We also found as many ways as possible to connect with and include other artists locally – whether it was hosting workshops, going on thinking time walks, or simply having a pint or a coffee together.

I got to go on some of the visits. They were superb. Here’s some of the activities programmed by the artists for each other: