#23 HOW TO PRACTICE?
MARIE GURINE ASKELAND

Considering collegial exchange, informal peer-to-peer/practice-to-practice learning, and attempts at friendship as a fundamental part of our remit, UKS presents the weekly walk-in-workshop: HOW TO PRACTICE?

Starting off the workweek every Monday morning at 10am, rotating local and international practitioners in the cultural field teach their conspicuous version of this essential question, serving up their tricks and toolboxes, fears and desires, excel sheets, or yoga positions as UKS serves free coffee.

“With the help of breath, stagnant emotions and muscle armor can gradually subside and come up and out in the form of groans and oh oh hey hey yeah”

— Freely quoted after Wilhelm Reich and Berit Heir Bunkan.

On Monday, 7 October at 10am, Norwegian, Oslo-based artist MARIE GURINE ASKELAND’s mantra “therapy as art” forms the starting point for UKS’ twenty-third walk-in-workshop. With a background as a trained physiotherapist Askeland (b. 1985) uses personal writings and physical relaxation exercises in her performances, inviting the audience to join her in group therapy as an art experience. Activated by the group, she will investigate her role as the supreme and vulnerable, self-proclaimed group leader. As part of her professional practice Askeland has a license to touch, which leads to the themes of this event: what is the difference between being touched professionally and being moved personally?

Askeland holds a BA in Fine Art from Tromsø Academy of Contemporary Art and Creative Writing, and a BA in Physiotherapy from Oslo Metropolitan University. She works mainly with text, performance, and video revolving around vulnerability, body, and gender. Over the last years she has had performances at several venues in Oslo, including Destiny’s Atelier (2019), Botsparken, Grønland (hosted by Trollkrem and Munchmuseet i Bevegelse) (2018), Noplace (2018), and Kunstnernes Hus (2015). During the first part of the Oslobiennalen, Askeland collaborated with Marianne Heier on her performance piece And Their Spirits Live On (2019).

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Need a way to start your week? Join the ongoing program raising questions of working rhythms, trauma, truisms, privilege, priorities, refusal, risk, collaboration, honesty, joy, embarrassment, pretension, blockages, blind spots, sleep, craft, dignity, conspiracy, accounting, body, theory, bureaucracy, ex-and-inclusion, collectivity, exhibitionism, how to take time off and how not to, professionalization, performance, and pace.

 

*Image material: Performance by Marie Gurine Askeland. Photo: Lars Brekke