Manipulate Festival: ChaosPlay

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Join artist Anthony Schrag and guests for a cosy conversation as we find common threads between forms, and then explore these meeting points, where we’ll we host an active play session together.

About Manipulate Festival: ChaosPlay

Listed Under Workshops Events / Arts and Crafts Events / Talks and Lectures Events

What is the role of play in animation, visual theatre and puppetry?

Join artist Anthony Schrag and guests for a cosy conversation as we find common threads between forms, and then explore these meeting points, where we’ll we host an active play session together.

Manipulate Arts supports a broad range of artforms spanning animated film, puppetry and many kinds of visual theatre, including but not limited to circus, object theatre, mime, dance theatre, physical theatre and installation. In our mission statement we claim that “the common thread between these artforms lies in the opportunities they create to discover the latent magic in the everyday, to find common visual languages beyond the reach of words, and to enable play at all stages of our lives”.

One of our key focus themes for the 2025 Festival is play, and understanding the role it plays in these magical and transformative artforms – whether for artists, audiences or participants. As a festival focused on adult work, we are particularly interested in what play can teach us about the way we engage with the world though play in our adult lives. In this discussion and active play event, we will bring together experts from across these visual fields to discuss the role of play in their practice and how it has energised and galvanised their work, and to interrogate the rigid boundaries between artist and audience.

Following the discussion, artist Anthony Schrag will lead all event attendees in a participatory play activity through which we can work and play as a team to explore the meeting points between artforms and play practices, and also to have lots of fun. No prior experience is required, and we actively welcome audiences, artists, industry professionals and the general public to join us to explore this subject. As an attendee you’ll be both an active participant and an audience member.

Biography:
Dr Anthony Schrag is a practising artist and researcher, and Reader at Queen Margaret’s University (Edinburgh). The central focus of his work examines the role of art in participatory and public contexts, with a specific focus on social conflict, agonism and ethics.

He has worked nationally and internationally, including residencies in Iceland, USA, Canada, Pakistan, Finland, The Netherlands and South Africa, among others. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants including Royal Society of Edinburgh, The Hope Scot Trust, Creative Scotland, British Council, Royal Scottish Academy, the Dewar Arts Award, Standpoint Futures as well as a Henry Moore Artist Fellowship.

His PhD and current research examines the notion of ‘Pro-Social Conflict’ within participatory and social-practice projects. His most recent publication The Failures of Public Art and Participation (co-edited with Cameron Cartiere) was released in Sept, 2022 and recently completed a residency with the Perth Museum and Art Gallery that tried to persuade the museum to destroy a single item from their collection, as chosen by the public. This project failed. He leads on the MA Applied Arts and Social Practice at Queen Margaret University and is a member of the Centre for Communication, Cultural and Media Studies Research Centre, leading the Practice Research Cluster: Finding and Using Creative Knowledge.

The artist Nathalie De Brie once referred to his practice as ‘Fearless’. The writer Marjorie Celona once said: ‘Anthony, you have a lot of ideas. Not all of them are good.’

Age 18+

Image credit: Anthony Schrag

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