Radek Hewelt about Cooperativa Performativa
Where do they meet?
Valerie Oberleithner asked me to talk about Cooperativa Performativa. (laughs) Cooperativa Performativa is a group based in Romania. It consists of five artists from the performance and dance fields. The artists are from Bucuresti.They work in a kind of dance centre. I think it is even called dance house. They have a studio. It does not belong only to them. It belongs to the community. Cooperativa Performativa is one of the founders of this dance centre. Therefore they have the privilege to use the studio.
The internet as a virtual space is not an issue. One of their goals is to share one space, one physical space.
Who is the leader, and does everyone share his/her vision?
There is no leader! This is maybe the most important point about their working strategies. They are “the anarchists”. They do not like leaders. Furthermore they work independently from each other. This means that Cooperativa consists of five artists who work on five different projects. Also economical reasons made them work in this way: “Why do we not work on these five projects by sharing one studio? Why do we not just use each other for our own purposes?” They formulated rules how this way of cooperation could function. One rule: there is no leader, you are independent, you can always say no. You do not even have to come for the rehearsals. It is basically free and totally independent. Cooperativa Performativa is not about working for a group. It is rather using the sources a group or a collective offers. They are “the anarchists”. They do not have the goal to create something together. Everyone works on his own project, for a specific time, in a specific place.
Cooperativa Performativa reflects on its own working strategies. Sure a lot of conflicts appear. For example some would like to work with very loud music and some would like to work with silence. The task is to find solutions without leadership. What drives them to be in a studio is working on their own projects. Money reasons, too, made them decide to work in this way. Five artists using one studio at the same time is very economical. Beyond this they work with this situation. They know each other pretty well. They are old friends, colleagues.
Do they have any political vision?
I think they do. The rules of Cooperativa are very close to anarchy. But I do not know if each of them could be defined as an anarchist. Each of them is so different. There is something which all of them share: They are very radical in their actions and they all question the structure of a performance.
Do they share artistic practices?
Sometimes they share artistic practices, but usually not all of them at the same time (laughs). You may always ask someone who is working in the same space to help you with your proposal. This is how you share artistic practices. For example you say: “I would like to show you something.” You show something and afterwards you get feedback from the others. This is one of the artistic practices which they do quite frequently. Everything happening in the studio is a practice, even if it is destructive; even if you want to leave the space. What is clear to everyone, you come there to work; it is not a time to meet friends. The focus is clearly on working. Everything that was happening there could influence one's own work.
Where does their money come from?
They are involved in a dark business. They are somehow connected with the Romanian Mafia … It was kind of blurry … this is what I heard.
From whom?
From Edi and Florin … Maria also. I do not think they do dirty business but there is something … they are involved in some actions like kidnapping to get money, some radical actions in parliament … I don t know excactly what but …
Do they do what they say they do?
Yes, they do! They are very honest with what they say they do … they do it. (laughs) Do I have to say more about this?
No, no, it's enough! …
How do they differ from a group therapy?
Cooperativa as such is based on working. Working on artistic output. This involves the artists of Cooperativa in their own processes. I would say they are five egos who are working on different aims and goals, but they use a group to support their work. They are not serving a group as a principle.
They are “using” each other as a source, for help, as a source of influence. Each of them represents an equal artistic partner. There is constant communication between different media they are working with. Constant communication in the space they share. That is also what creates their own works. They choose this way of working. They agree on this strategy of always influencing each other.
What do they do together that they cannot do alone?
They could not be influenced by others if they worked alone. This working strategy created a group, but a group of very independent units.
The name of the emerging artists' initiative you were talking about and the one you are part of?
I was talking about Cooperativa Performativa (Bucharest, Romania)
I am part of BART (Vienna, Austria)
