Nithya Iyer: Notes from Atopia

Inspired by the term “Atopia”—to mean placelessness, or a society without borders and no national identity—Notes from Atopia aims to collate symbols, texts and methods of sense-making that emerged in the aftermath of COVID-19 when populations across the world were seemingly united in a suspended digital terrain of self-isolation.

Unfolding over three days at Appleton Box, Alvalade, in Lisbon, this workshop invites participants into solo and small group encounters that aim to dissect, explore and dialogue with the particularities of the pre-, during and post-COVID19 world. Participants will be asked to bring in a personal object, recording, text, or memory that holds significance in relation to their experience of the COVID19 phenomena, and be guided by Nithya Iyer through a series of experiential and responsive dialogues in relation to these objects. The resulting insights will be digitally archived (with the permission of the participant) and act as a global cultural resource that articulates this particular period in time.

Day one:
Solo interactions. 2 hour slots commencing at 10am and concluding at 5pm (10am–12pm, 12:30–2:30pm, 3–5pm).

Day two:
Small group interactions (maximum 3 participants per group). 2.5 hour slots commencing at 10am and concluding at 6:30pm (10am–12:30pm, 1–3:30pm, 4–6:30pm)

Day three:
Solo and small group interactions (maximum 3 participants per group). 2.5 hour slots commencing at 10am and concluding at 6:30pm. (10am–12:30pm, 1–3:30pm, 4–6:30pm)

Digital participation:
Notes from Atopia is open to digital submissions from participants anywhere in the world. Participants are welcome to register as per below and will be invited to send images and/or text regarding their object or memory. They will subsequently be sent an exercise to undertake in relation to their artefact. These objects will also be included in the digital archive.

Notes from Atopia specifically aims to engage artists, academics, community leaders, and cultural actors from both the local and international community living in Lisbon to participate in this project.

All sessions require pre-registration. Registrants are asked to send an email to maria.duarte [​at​] 4cs-conflict-conviviality.eu specifying: Name / Preferred date of participation/Digital participation / Accessibility needs (if in person) / Contact email.

Notes from Atopia is a workshop produced in the frame of the 4Cs: from Conflict to Conviviality through Creativity and Culture, a European Cooperation Project co­funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. The 4Cs seeks to understand how training and education in art and culture can constitute powerful resources to address the issue of conflict as well as to envision creative ways in which to deal with conflictual phenomena, while contributing to audience development through active participation and co­production. The project aims at advancing the conceptual framework of intercultural dialogue and enhancing the role of public arts and cultural institutions in fostering togetherness through cultural diversity and intercultural encounters.