For more than 10 years, Bâtard Festival has been operating as a platform supporting and presenting emerging artists.
This platform investigates in which ways and from which grounds can upcoming artists “emerge” and it aims to cultivate a bastard spirit of artistic daringness and political reflection.
Hello, it’s me
I was wondering if after all this year you’d like to meet
(Hello, Adèle)
Between Bâtard 2020 and today, a particular year unfolded. Through its consecutive waves of muting and unmuting the cultural sector, many artists (difficultly) continued to work, think, exist and Bâtard’s team (as all cultural workers) kept on adapting to make sure to still follow and support artistic processes.
Meanwhile, the team tried to approach artists as whistleblowers, listening to their experiences to shape the future of the festival and its economy. And of course, Bâtard took some time to think about how this invisibilized work could be articulated in an exciting and safe manner.
Hello, can you hear me?
I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be
When we were younger and free
I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet
(Hello, Adèle)
Liveness, togetherness and physicality are at the core of Bâtard’s motivations and identities. But the current times cannot host the publicness that we usually practice and love.
Something remains: the desire for a festival reflecting the present and its complexity, while staying radical and responsible.
On those grounds, we decided to conjugate Bâtard in the present tense by allowing it to leak into other forms of lives.
So HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE (other side)
At least I can say that I’ve tried (I’ve tried)
To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart
(Hello, Adele)
Welcome to Bâtard 2021, HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
This edition brings together Bâtard 2021’s artists and team in Beursschouwburg throughout the month of January, without the physical presence of an audience.
This month of internal encounter will be dedicated to video-record and document the works and exchanges of the programmed artists.
These videos and traces will be made available (mostly) on Bâtard website from the 3d to the 6th of February.
