Living in the Play: Nido* Residency, brings together an international consortium of artists to Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy, for a two-week artist residency that culminates in an exhibition of artworks and corresponding catalog. *It.: "Nest".
During the residency, your goal individually and collectively is to explore the social historical landscape, use of land resources, and the hidden histories of Monte Castello di Vibio and the surrounding region. This will inform and guide our conversations and contribute to the making practices of each artist amongst Living in the Play: nido.
This residency is in partnership with The Poor Farm Experiment in rural Wisconsin, USA, which has hosted Living In the Play since 2018. We are invested in creating spaces that uplift and connect fellow artists. Our goal is to gather artists through intentional actions that foster community. With a focus on inviting multi-generational and diverse pools of artists, we aim to offer art practitioners ways of engaging their practice with a focused depth of ideas around site, play, and community.
Participants will be housed in the remarkably well-preserved Umbrian hill town of Monte Castello di Vibio. Your workshop package is all-inclusive, providing welcome and departure services and airport transfer from the Rome Fiumicino, Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO). Aboard our comfortable private bus, single occupancy accommodations with shared bath (a wide range of upgrades with private bath are available), 3 meals per day Monday-Thursday, Prosecco brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday (no meals are served on Friday, our excursion day. Your workshop includes one excursion per week and many additional options are available on weekends for an additional fee. Of course, 24/7 access to facilities and 24/7 bi-lingual support are provided. Please consult the Participant Guide for valuable, practical information before travel. (https://icaitaly.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Participant_guide-2019.pdf )
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Mark Jeffery (B. 1973, UK) is a performance artist, choreographer, collaborator, and curator. He is Chair of The Performance Department and Full Professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since 1994 Mark has developed unconventional collaborations with visual artists, video artists, sound artists, code artists, dancers, and cows.
Since 2020 he has collaborated with Lucy Cash on their film and installation project Winterage: Last Milk.
In 2012, he co-founded the language, performance, and technology collective Anatomical Theatres of Mixed Reality (ATOM-r). ATOM-r premiered its first work The Operature in 2014 at the National Museum of Health and Science, Chicago. In 2017 ATOM-r premiered Kjell Theøry at The Graham Foundation Chicago. In 2018, ATOM-r presented Rhinestone Cowboy, performed with cows at 606, Chicago. ATOM-r presented I Love The Dead at Gallery 400, Chicago in February 2023.
Since Summer 2019 Mark has collaborated with Kelly Kaczynski on a residency project at The Poor Farm, Wisconsin and since 2023 NIDO LIVING IN THE PLAY, Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy.
Mark was a former member of the internationally renowned Goat Island Performance Group from 1996 - 2009. Goat Island toured and taught extensively across North America and Europe. In 2019, The Chicago Cultural Center presented an exhibition dedicated to the work of Goat Island.
August 15 is the Ferragosto Holiday in Italy. Established by the Romans in the rein of Augustus, around 18 BC, the Feriae Agusti, is still celebrated today. Christians moved the holiday from august 1 - August 15, in order to make the holiday a celebration of the Virgin Mary. During this rein, Mussolini nationalized the holiday for worksers and promoted travel to the sea or mountains with discounted train fares for the working class. Italians still celebrate the holiday and choose to celebrate it for vacations of up to a month! (Typically, time is spent as a week at the beach.)
Many Italians today, also visit villages - typically with familial heritage - and many people come to Monte Castello. We will utilize the opportunity to host an exhibition/performance of participants work and sponsor a reception in the square. We anticipate a brilliant event!