Florin Flueras about Cooperativa Performativa
Where do they meet?
We meet anywhere, any time. Basically each of us can propose a place, a time and an intention (what to do). Who wants to come comes. We do not have any program or any obligations. Everyone does and proposes whatever he/she feels that helps his process. Each of us chooses how to use the interaction with the others and their proposals. (This is the same offline and online).
Who is the leader, and does everyone share his/her vision?
In the concept there is no leader. But unfortunately we had a parallel power issue going on all the time because we mixed the working process with our lives and we involved real feelings and conflictual relationships. The power problem associated with the masculine-instinctual-ego image was there most of the time. Actually in some parts the „ artistic“ part was secondary and the focus was on dealing with power related conflicts. The politics, the governance of the group was an issue almost all the time.
Where does their money come from?
We got the money from some Romanian cultural organisations. Actually the name „ Cooperativa“ also comes from our intention to share the money and apply it together instead of making a contest for funding between us by applying separately.
So we preferred to do five projects with the resources (space, time and money) that normally go into one project.
Do they do what they say that they do?
Yes, we did more than we proposed - even more than we could deal with. We wanted to challenge property and ownership in the artistic world, but we arrived at dealing with property and ownership in human relations, in couples.
Sometimes our process looked more like telenovela stuff.
Looking back now, this process dislodged some unquestioned hierarchies and authorities in our small Romanian dance community, and some society taboos too.
How do they differ from a group therapy?
Mainly by the fact that in the beginning we had no problem, everything was fine between us (apparently), and we ended with big interpersonal and personal problems.
So there is this essential difference - instead of resolving we create problems. But there are also similarities like the action of symbolising, camouflage and projecting „the real problems“ in apparently artistic issues. Associated with the negation „ everything is just what it seems - some artsy problems“; but it was easy to feel all the time that there was so much more in the background.
Why did you decide to talk in this interview about Cooperativa Performativa ?
I guess I misunderstood it in the short conversation we had over skype and the conversation which I had with Radek over facebook. I understood that I should talk about Cooperativa Performativa. Radek asked me on facebook if Cooperativa Performativa still exists. He told me that you will ask me about Cooperativa.
An open question not on the list: Why all this?
People do anything to protect commodities and the status quo. This is the same for empires like the US which are ready to protect their way of living by attacking everybody, and people who accept being enslaved and selling their time in all kinds of jobs. Couples who prefer to cover up the unpleasant reality and make believe that everything is ok, and artists ready to apply verified and safe models of operation in order not to derange themselves and the system too much. So I think it is interesting to create situations - contexts that can push the experience outside the safe zone.
This situation of taking five persons to develop five different projects in the same time and space certainly can push you out of your territory (skills and means of doing performances). It proved to be an efficient way to challenge our powerful cultural and biological inscribed relation with authority, hierarchy, rules and taboos, even in groups of friends and couple relations. And yes, sometimes it is good to explode a little the boring activity of entertaining, the unchangeable ways of living, doing „art“ and „dance“. It is healthy to feel that what you are doing is mixed with life and can have repercussions and an impact on others, too.
The name of the emerging artists' initiative you were talking about and the one you are part of:
I was talking about Cooperativa Performativa.
I am also part of Cooperativa Performativa.
