SUMMER SCHOOL
I CONSENT

How does it change our ways of living and working together, if we bring questions of consent, complaint and intimacy to the forefront?

Growing from the exhibition Moon in your Mouth, UKS, Bedside Productions and Frame Contemporary Art Finland come together to co-host I CONSENT, a three-day summer school in Oslo from 30 May to 1 June 2023. Convening around consent, complaint and intimacy, this multi-day programme offers a tender environment to explore alternative, safe and loving ways of relating, particularly in the context of arts institutions and cultural production.

Taking place at UKS in Keysers gate 1, the school supports a small cohort of 20 participants from across the art and cultural sectors – including hosts, contributors, guests and attendees – to learn alongside one another for three days. As part of a shared responsibility of building a safe and intimate space participants are asked to commit to the full three days (more information below). An evening programme at UKS and Kunstnernes Hus Kino is open to everyone.

Session hosts include feminist pornographic film production collective Bedside Productions, curator Max Hannus, artist and activist Raju Rage, and artist Vishnu Vardhani, with others to be announced.

 

THE SUMMER SCHOOL
The curriculum is framed by a series of questions that softly guide the programme and discussions without placing emphasis on arriving at direct answers:

How might we welcome structures, principles and practices of consent within creative processes and working relationships? Can consent be instituted?

Can we embrace ‘complaint’ as a generative and generous act? Can we understand complaint as a shared project?

If we think of intimacy as seeing and being seen, what is required for the ‘seeing’ to take place? How does one access intimacy?

The structure of the school encourages different styles of collective learning, with some workshop sessions led by invited guests and time left open to allow for unfolding questions.

Every day, we take time to cook and eat together, making room for a slower space for digesting between the workshop sessions. In the evenings the school expands into a public programme of film screenings, readings, performance and discussion at UKS and Kunstnernes Hus Kino.

 

PROGRAMME
DAY 1: CONSENT | Tuesday 30 May, UKS and Kunstnernes Hus Kino
9am–12pm: Welcome, introductions and guided tour of the exhibition Moon in Your Mouth with curator Max Hannus
12–2pm: Cooking communal lunch with Raju Rage and unprogrammed time
2–5pm: ‘BDSM for Collaborative Art Making’ led by Bedside Productions
7–9pm: Conversations at Kunstnernes Hus Kino

DAY 2: COMPLAINT | Wednesday 31 May, UKS
9am–12pm: Sessions led by artists Vishnu Vardhani
12–2pm: Cooking communal lunch with Raju Rage and unprogrammed time
2–5pm: ‘BDSM for Collaborative Art Making’ led by Bedside Productions
7–9pm: Bedside Productions screening of 2426F at UKS

DAY 3: INTIMACY | Thursday 1 June, UKS
9am–12pm: Open floor, reflective discussions and closing session
12–2pm: Cooking communal lunch with Raju Rage and unprogrammed time

 

HOW TO ATTEND
THE SUMMER SCHOOL | CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
With a desire to create an intimate setting, the school will be available for 20 people. Participants include organisers, students and contributors as well as curators and artists. Ten spaces are open to the public by application. As spaces are limited we ask those interested in attending to fill out this short expression of interest form by 14 May at 11.59pm (CET). Applicants will be informed by 17 May.

The selection will be made by the summer school curators, Yvonne Billimore and Jussi Koitela (Frame) and Miriam Wistreich (UKS). The following criteria will be considered in making the selection:

1. Some level of reflection, prior thinking, reading or experience of working with the subjects of consent, complaint and intimacy is desirable, though not essential. Use the expression of interest section to tell us a bit about your interest in these subjects.
2. Due to the intimate nature of the school and the desire to learn from different practices and backgrounds, the group dynamic will be part of our selection considerations. Therefore, in addition to your bio (where you can share a few sentences about your own practice and background), please use the ‘expression of interest’ section to also tell us about your interest in group work and environments for shared learning.
3. Those who can attend for the full three days will be prioritised. However, should you have commitments or responsibilities that make this difficult, use Q7 in the form to let us know so that we may take into consideration how to support your participation.

Please note, we ask for a participant fee of 300 kr (100 kr per day) to help cover the costs of lunches and refreshments. Should this create a barrier, you can select to waive the fee in the form. A payment link will be sent to those selected to attend.

THE EVENING PROGRAMME
Tuesday 30 May, 7–9pm: Bedside Productions screening of 2426F at UKS. Free admission and no sign up needed.
Wednesday 31 May, 7–9pm: Public talk at Kunstnernes Hus Kino. Free admission.

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION AND ACCESS
UKS is wheelchair accessible. Read more about UKS’ access here.
The language of the summer school and public events is English.
The event at Kunstnernes Hus Kino will be streamed and captioned in English.
Should you have any access questions, needs or desires you would like to let us know about, you can write them in the expression of interest form, or contact Miriam Wistreich at m.wistreich@uks.no / +47 920 34 848.

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I CONSENT is co-organised by Frame Contemporary Art Finland and UKS (Unge Kunstneres Samfund / Young Artists’ Society) in partnership with Bedside Productions and Kunstnernes Hus Kino, as part of Frame’s 2023 Rehearsing Hospitalities programme. I CONSENT is curated by Yvonne Billimore, Jussi Koitela and Miriam Wistreich.

Rehearsing Hospitalities 2023 is part of the EU-funded project Islands of Kinship: A Collective Manual for Sustainable and Inclusive Art Institutions. I CONSENT is supported by Nordic Culture Point, The Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute (FINNO), Kulturfonden för Finland och Norge and Fritt Ord.