ICA is closed from the 30 May – 3 June inclusive.
Challenging the notion of mental health as primarily an individualised, pathological issue, this panel aims to reframe it as a collective experience shaped by the conditions of capitalism and globalised trauma.
Drawing from Aliaskar Abarkas’ practice, particularly his project All the Whistlers, the conversation will explore how artists respond to external challenges by creating spaces where individuals come together and express themselves collectively as an act of resistance. This discussion brings together Aliaskar Abarkas alongside guest speakers Dr. Martin Hargreaves, Director of Rose Choreographic School, and Dr. Maggie Matic, Curator, Writer, Researcher, and Director of Auto Italia. Together, through open discussion and workshopping these notions, they aim to highlight the transformative power of sound, where individual voices merge into a shared sonic experience, fostering solidarity and conviviality.
Drawing from Aliaskar Abarkas’ practice, particularly his project All the Whistlers, the conversation will explore how artists respond to external challenges by creating spaces where individuals come together and express themselves collectively as an act of resistance. This discussion brings together Aliaskar Abarkas alongside guest speakers Dr. Martin Hargreaves, Director of Rose Choreographic School, and Dr. Maggie Matic, Curator, Writer, Researcher, and Director of Auto Italia. Together, through open discussion and workshopping these notions, they aim to highlight the transformative power of sound, where individual voices merge into a shared sonic experience, fostering solidarity and conviviality.
Dr Martin Hargreaves (He/They) is a writer and dramaturg and the director of the Rose Choreographic School. Based at Sadler's Wells in London, the School is an experimental research and pedagogy initiative which supports a cohort of artists in exploring their individual choreographic inquiries while collectively envisioning a framework through which knowledge and practices can be developed and shared.
Aliaskar Abarkas (He/They) is an Iranian, London-based artist. Committed to alternative and communal art education, he employs a choreographic and sonic approach to facilitate dynamic interactions between individuals, guiding a transition from isolated experiences to collective expressions. Engaging closely with institutional infrastructures, Aliaskar proposes and tests methodologies that reimagine open contexts within which his practice evolves and circulates, leading to contingent shifts in the dimensions of ideas and material forms. In the project All The Whistlers, Aliaskar collaborates with diverse creative networks and
participants, documenting the process that leads to musical compositions, visuals, and performances.
Dr Maggie Matić (they/them) is a curator, writer and researcher with a specialism in contemporary feminist, crip and queer visual culture. Maggie is currently Director at Auto Italia, London. They have previously held positions at Studio Voltaire, Somerset House, Tate, FACT (Foundation for Art & Creative Technology) and The University of Liverpool.
Aliaskar Abarkas (He/They) is an Iranian, London-based artist. Committed to alternative and communal art education, he employs a choreographic and sonic approach to facilitate dynamic interactions between individuals, guiding a transition from isolated experiences to collective expressions. Engaging closely with institutional infrastructures, Aliaskar proposes and tests methodologies that reimagine open contexts within which his practice evolves and circulates, leading to contingent shifts in the dimensions of ideas and material forms. In the project All The Whistlers, Aliaskar collaborates with diverse creative networks and
participants, documenting the process that leads to musical compositions, visuals, and performances.
Dr Maggie Matić (they/them) is a curator, writer and researcher with a specialism in contemporary feminist, crip and queer visual culture. Maggie is currently Director at Auto Italia, London. They have previously held positions at Studio Voltaire, Somerset House, Tate, FACT (Foundation for Art & Creative Technology) and The University of Liverpool.
Ticket information
- All tickets that do not require ID (full price, disabled, income support) can be printed at home or stored in email
- For aged-based concession tickets (under 25, student and pensioner) please bring relevant ID to collect at the front desk before the event.
Members+ and all Patrons gain free entry to all cinema screenings, exhibitions, talks, and more.
Join today as a Member+ for £25/month.
no. 236848.