Cosa significa convivere

What it means to live together

by Claudia Donzelli

Concept
“What dynamics come into play when we find ourselves having to share a space, especially if it has for us an intimate significance?
What changes when cohabitation is not wanted or sought but imposed by circumstances? When it is forced, for economic or other reasons, what mechanisms are in action? And why are they different when we wish to share a space with someone? How much can the context affect our feelings and attitudes?
The project’s aim is to question ourselves about the meaning of home and of living together, expanding the subject to the city, issues that closely concern all of us in this period of continuous migrations and of house sharing. (…)”

Origin
“The project is a direct consequence of my work “Bombed House” (cf. dedicated page); after exploring forced cohabitation extensively, I felt the need to share perspectives with other people, broadening the question to coexistence issues, an unfortunately relevant theme after the tragic events in France and Rome and what is still happening in many countries as manifestations of intolerance and fear.”

A first phase of the project was a residency offered by IT Festival 2015 (Independent Theatre Festival), in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan and the CAM (Multifunctional Aggregation Centres), where I could start to research this topic in a theatre workshop I directed at the CAM Ponte delle Gabelle (Via San Marco 45, Milan) which was assigned to me as a space – Jan-Feb. 2015.

A documentary was the result of this research workshop:
“Cosa significa convivere – primi reperti” / “What it means to live together – first evidences” (cf. photos),
which was presented in Milan on the 21st of February 2015 at the CAM Garibaldi (Corso Garibaldi 27) on the occasion of Open IT, the programme of openings of the companies’ works in progress in the months preceding the festival, grouping 4-5 projects each time (cf. flyer).
Credits: project, workshop, shooting, and editing concept by Claudia Donzelli; technical editing by T.K.V., Milan, Feb. 2015

Developments: in November 2015 I was selected for Arts’R’Public (cf. dedicated page), an international initiative co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme, which allowed me to collect further material and to produce new short documentary films for my research, such as:

“What it means to live together – second evidence”:
https://vimeo.com/163757470

“What it means to live together – third evidence”:
https://vimeo.com/165421042

“What it means to live together – fourth evidence”:
https://vimeo.com/215727022

and the following two, based on collective work, connected with my project as a further exploration on “sharing a space” issues; in these cases: a public space and an artistic space:

“Avons-nous le droit d’être là?” – (Do we have the right to be here?)
[More details and links will be added in later on for copyright reasons]

“Crossroads”:
https://vimeo.com/215897614

In June 2016 my project was included in the publication “Creation and Displacement – Developing new narratives around migration” by IETM, International network for contemporary performing arts based in Brussels (at page 36 of “Annex: listing of projects”).

The project was then presented at the HORS Festival at the MTM Teatro Litta in Milan, Sept.-Oct 2017, in the form of a photo and video installation in the ancient foyer called “Sul senso del coabitare – studio di una fenomenologia della convivenza” (On the sense of cohabiting – study of a phenomenology of living together), tracing some moments of the research conducted since 2011 crossing different cities and festivals (cf. dedicated page).

At the same time the project was accepted as a collateral event at the Festival InDivenire in Rome, Oct. 2017, organized by Sala Umberto and Spazio Diamante, where I could direct a new theatre workshop and performance: “Cosa significa convivere – reperti” (What it means to live together – evidences) with a cast of 16 artists of different disciplines and provenance and young migrants, with the collaboration of the volunteers of Baobab Experience (cf. dedicated page).