Titre du symposium
Performing Space 2026
Lieu et dates du symposium
Nafplion, Grèce, 2-5 septembre 2026
Intentions du réseau Performing Space
Performing Space is an international platform dedicated to exploring the dynamic relationship between performance and space through research, artistic practice and interdisciplinary dialogue. Since its launch in 2022, it has brought together researchers, artists and practitioners from more than twenty countries, fostering exchange across architecture, performance studies, theatre, choreography, archaeology, anthropology, urban studies, landscape architecture and related fields.
Through its annual conference or symposium and an expanding international network, Performing Space promotes collaboration between theory and practice, creating opportunities for new forms of research, artistic experimentation and critical reflection on the performative dimensions of space.
Le Symposium Performing Space 2026 est organisé par la Performing Space Association en collaboration avec le Département des arts du spectacle et des arts numériques et le Département d’études théâtrales de l’ Université du Péloponnèse , ainsi qu’avec les programmes de troisième cycle du Département d’études théâtrales « Écriture créative, théâtre et industries culturelles : applications artistiques, de recherche et pédagogiques » et « Théâtre, éducation, société ». Réunissant des chercheurs, des artistes et des praticiens du monde entier, ce symposium explore la relation réciproque entre performance et espace à travers des présentations académiques, des performances, des conversations, des ateliers et des activités in situ.
Depuis sa première édition, Performing Space est devenu une plateforme internationale de dialogue entre l’architecture, le théâtre, les études performatives, l’archéologie, l’anthropologie, l’urbanisme, l’architecture paysagère, la scénographie et les disciplines connexes. Ce symposium encourage les échanges critiques, la collaboration interdisciplinaire et l’émergence de nouvelles perspectives sur la manière dont les environnements spatiaux façonnent l’expérience humaine et dont la performance, en retour, redéfinit le sens et l’usage de l’espace. En associant théorie, pratique artistique et expérience située, Performing Space crée des opportunités de nouvelles collaborations entre disciplines, institutions et cultures, favorisant des approches novatrices pour comprendre et appréhender les dimensions performatives de l’espace.
Abstract de communication Dimitri Szuter (à venir) :
In 1966-68, Lawrence & Anna Halprin, respectively landscape architect and choreographer, developed a series of a month long workshops in the San Francisco Bay area to explore performative pedagogies with a transdisciplinary group of students. In 66, they focused on how do we affect the environement and how does the environment affects us. In 68, they added a specific focus on how these performative methodologies contribute to build up ephemeral communities. Throught their collaborative work, they explored ecosocial issues throught a creative idea of motion. By using performative scores, they structured ways of raising environmental awareness, engaging creative communites and designing processes for performative public spaces. Since 2023, we’re developping a postdoctoral research on their Legacy, started with a scholar trip in the USA, investigating the archives, exploring the built environment and meeting researchers and professionnals that used to work on/with them. In july 2025, we conducted a 15 days long workshop bringing landscapes students from California, architects students from France and dancers from the Tamalpa Institute together to explore the performative pedagogies of the Halprin on a ongoing project in the south of France : ‘Reprendre place[1]’ is a french word game that articulates a typology of public space and its performative embodied process of reclaiming : an experimental project-process aimed at transforming the parking-based central squares of French villages through performative actions, installations and processes that aim to re-shape public spaces within local communities. The project envision to re-claim surfaces for people instead of cars, living soils instead of concrete oceans ; to design spaces that empower people, result and engage synergistic movements for social life & natural ecosystems together. We will introduce the pilot-project designed in Reillanne and the performative methodological approach as an ongoing site-generic transformative process.
[1] See the project here: https://perform-the-city.org/projects/reprendre-place/