Alex Martinis Roe: To Become Two

About

Across six films To Become Two traces the stories of six different, yet connected, feminist groups from the 1970s to the present who have built communities in Europe and Australia. These include The Milan Women's Bookstore co-operative; Psychanalyse et Politique, Paris; Women's Studies at the University of Utrecht; a network in Sydney including people involved in the Sydney Filmmakers Co-operative, Feminist Film Workers, and the Department of General Philosophy at Sydney University; and Duoda - Centro de investigación de Mujeres and Ca La Dona in Barcelona.

By using various methods such as participant observation, oral history interviewing, and archival research, Martinis Roe offers proposals for how to grapple with contemporary society through feminist methodologies. For the final film, Our Future Network (2016), Martinis Roe established a new network to explore these histories and what can be transferred into methods for collective working now, which resulted in the development of twenty propositions for feminist collective political practices.

At The Showroom, the project will further evolve with a programme of events and workshops led by Martinis Roe to extend on the Our Future Network propositions for feminist collective practices according to the needs, desires and contexts of those who participate.

Exhibition design in collaboration with Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga.
 Poster series in collaboration with Chiara Figone.
 To Become Two has been produced with the support of curator Susan Gibb.

Programme:

Thursday 18 May, 7–9pm: An introduction to To Become Two
Alex Martinis Roe presents the project in conversation with Helena Reckitt, Senior Lecturer in Curating at Goldsmiths, University of London, and participant in Our Future Network.

Friday 19 / Saturday 20 / Tuesday 23 May, 6–9pm: Three-part workshop
Over three sessions, participants will undertake a series of exercises that expand on proposals generated in the Our Future Network film project to develop further propositions for new feminist political practices. These workshops will culminate in a public event on Saturday 27 May where participants will enact their collective proposals.

The workshops would suit those who have an interest in collective political practices and/or feminism but an extensive knowledge of feminist history or theory is not necessary to participate. Participants must be able to contribute to all three workshops and the final event, as well as some discussions and correspondence with the artist in the first two weeks of May.

To participate, please forward expressions of interest to Eva Rowson, Programme Coordinator by Sunday 30 April 5pm (see details below).

Monday 22 May, 6–9pm: Open session 
A one-off workshop for those interested in learning more about the project. Participants will explore some of the political practices narrated in the film installation through discussion-based exercises and collective experiments.

To participate in the Open Session, please forward expressions of interest to Eva Rowson, Programme Coordinator by Sunday 14 May 5pm (see details below).

Saturday 27 May, 2–6pm: Public salon
A public salon where the propositions for new feminist practices developed during workshops at The Showroom will be presented. These propositions will depart from the historical practices explored in the To Become Two film series, extended and adapted by the workshop contributors according to their needs and contexts.

Workshop participation: Expressions of interest

To participate in the three-part workshop and final event: Please forward expressions of interest to Eva Rowson, Programme Coordinator eva@theshowroom.org by Sunday 30 April 5pm.

Please include:
Confirmation to commit to all dates and availability to undertake preparatory discussions and correspondence with the artist in the first two weeks of May.
Brief biography (100 words)
Short statement of motivation for participation (150 words)

To participate in the open workshop: Please forward expressions of interest to Eva Rowson, Programme Coordinator eva@theshowroom.org by Sunday 14 May 5pm.

Please include a short statement of motivation for participation (150 words)