Van Assche, Annelies

Ghent University Academic Bibliography

  “This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published in DOCUMENTA: Tijdschrift voor Theater, jaargang XXXVI 2018 NUMMER 1” 		Choreographer	David	Hernandez	on	the	ups	and	downs	of	being	an	artist		In	her	research,	dance	scholar	Annelies	Van	Assche	investigates	the	working	and	living	conditions	of	contemporary	dance	artists	in	Brussels	and	Berlin	and	how	these	affect	the	working	processes,	modes	of	working	and	eventually	the	artistic	work	itself.	Her	comprehensive	research	project	ties	dance	studies	to	sociology	by	combining	quantitative	and	qualitative	research	with	the	analysis	of	contemporary	dance.	Following	the	release	of	the	survey	results	in	Brussels	and	Berlin	included	in	a	report,	Annelies	interviewed	contemporary	dance	artist	David	Hernandez,	who	has	been	living	and	working	in	Brussels	since	the	early	1990s.	After	his	studies	in	studio	music,	jazz,	opera	and	dance	in	Miami,	he	worked	as	an	apprentice	with	the	Trisha	Brown	Company	in	New	York.	He	then	moved	to	Europe	with	Meg	Stuart	to	help	her	found	Damaged	Goods	in	Belgium.	He	left	the	company	to	return	to	building	his	own	body	of	work	in	Brussels.	He	has	collaborated	as	choreographer,	dancer,	composer,	pedagogue	and	dramaturge	with	Labor	Gras	(Berlin),	Anouk	Van	Dijk	(Amsterdam)	and	Rosas	(Brussels)	among	others.	Additionally,	he	teaches	regularly	in	Belgium	and	internationally	and	has	been	a	core	professor	at	P.A.R.T.S.,	teaching	technique,	composition	and	improvisation,	rhythm	and	dance	and	repertory	projects.	Among	his	most	recent	projects	under	the	label	David	Hernandez	and	Collaborators	are	Hullabaloo	(2015)	and	Sketches	on	Scarlatti	(2017).			AVA: Art	sociologist	and	contemporary	dancer	Pierre-Emmanuel	Sorignet	was	one	of	the	first	authors	to	publish	an	empirically-grounded	book	on	the	working	and	living	conditions	of	contemporary	dance	artists.	His	qualitative	study	in	the	contemporary	dance	field	in	Francei	has	greatly	inspired	my	own	research.	Additionally,	Petra	Sabisch	has	recently	launched	a	book	chapter	on	choreographic	practices	in	Germany,	which	includes	an	extensive	outline	of	the	evolution	of	the	socio-economic	position	of	dance	artists	in	Europe	since	the	nineteen-nineties.	In	her	study,	she	notes	that	even	though	the	precarious	situation	has	been	known	about	for	years,	it	has	worsened	catastrophically	(in	particular	in	terms	of	income	development	and	gender	equality).	Additionally,	she	points	to	the	absence	of	studies	that	distinguish	the	dance	profession	within	the	performing	arts	as	one	aspect	of	the	problemii.	What	is	for	you	the	value	of	investigating	the	contemporary	dance	profession	in	general,	and	the	situation	in	these	two	'dance	capitals'	in	particular?		DH:	For	one	thing,	I	think	it	is	important	to	demystify	the	work	of	artists	a	bit.	In	a	time	when	we	have	increasingly	right-wing	governments	who	view	culture	as	a	luxury,	it	is	important	to	shed	some	light	on	the	working	conditions	of	artists	and	to	be	clear	that,	for	most	of	us,	it	is	not	all	wine	and	caviar	and	bohemian	lifestyle.	I	think	that	by	humanizing	the	situation	of	artists,	people	can	let	go	of	the	myth	that	artists	are	just	lazy	and	feeding	off	of	taxpayer	money.		I	also	find	it	important	to	have	more	information	in	order	to	create	better	conditions.	Finally,	concerning	these	two	cities,	they	are	interesting	reflections	of	each	other.	Berlin	  was	more	of	a	dance	hub	in	the	nineties	and	is	still	quite	active	as	major	cities	go,	but	is	no	longer	the	paradise	it	once	was,	especially	for	freelance	artists.	Brussels,	in	my	opinion,	faces	a	similar	decline	if	cultural	politics	and	funding	issues	develop	in	the	same	direction	as	they	have	started	to	do	recently,	so	definitely	interesting	to	take	these	two	cities	as	case	studies.		AVA:	In	our	data	we	observe	a	tendency	among	Brussels-based	contemporary	dance	artists	towards	self-precarisation.	This	means	that	artists	seem	to	be	willing	to	sacrifice	material	income	for	the	sake	of	immaterial	income,	motivated	by	the	desire	to	be	a	creative	subjectiii.	For	instance,	generally,	the	respondents	have	indicated	to	be	satisfied	with	their	profession	and	this	satisfaction	does	not	seem	to	depend	on	income	or	the	access	to	benefits.	Do	you	recognize	this	in	your	life	and	work	path?		DH:	I	think	putting	oneself	in	a	precarious	situation	is	simply	an	unfortunate	side	effect	of	deciding	to	make	art	your	life.	I	don’t	know	anyone	who	feels	satisfied	with	the	insecurity	and	lack	of	stability	they	face	as	an	artist.	However,	I	do	think	that	making	a	choice	to	do	this	kind	of	work	keeps	you	in	touch	with	essential	human	issues.	You	are	perpetually	in	flux,	constantly	in	the	state	of	working	to	create	the	life	you	want.	Which	means	you	have	to	keep	asking	yourself	“what	kind	of	life	do	I	want?”	With	this	privilege	come	a	lot	of	scary	things	and	precarity	is	one	of	those.		AVA:	In	that	respect,	one	of	our	main	findings	reveals	that	in	Belgium,	the	artist	status,	which	principally	provides	financial	support	for	artists	in	the	periods	between	their	contracts,	effectively	attempts	to	offer	a	socio-economic	protection	that	is	customized	to	the	sector	by	taking	into	account	the	predominance	of	short	employment	relationships	and	un-contracted	work	in-between.	The	artist	status	may	reduce	precarity	to	semi-precarity	through	the	flexicurity	it	provides,	i.e.	a	combination	of	social	protection	and	a	flexible	work	environment.	In	the	report,	we	offer	some	suggestions	to	improve	this	regime.	You	have	had	access	to	the	artist	status	for	many	years	now	and	I’m	wondering	how	you	have	experienced	the	advantages	and	disadvantages	of	this	flexicurity	provision	and	what	suggestions	you	have	to	improve	it?		 DH:	That	is	an	interesting	subject.	I	do	have	the	artist	status	but	almost	never	use	it.	This	is	because	I	am	luckily	mostly	finding	enough	contracts	until.	Even	when	I	have	a	gap	I	don’t	really	use	it	as	it	was	intended	to.	I	have	decided	to	save	enough	money	to	bridge	the	gap	until	the	next	contract,	which	is	usually	not	far	away.	I	do	this	because	of	several	reasons.	First,	the	one	time	I	did	use	the	artist	status	as	intended,	I	ended	up	paying	a	huge	amount	more	in	taxes	because	I	worked	too	much	next	to	my	unemployment	and	therefore	got	bumped	into	a	new	tax	bracket.	This	probably	happened	because	I	don’t	know	well	enough	how	the	system	in	Belgium	works,	as	I	know	many	artists	for	whom	it	works	just	fine.	Secondly,	as	many	people	have	also	abused	the	system,	we	now	have	to	go	through	big	efforts	in	order	to	not	get	kicked	out	of	the	system.	I	have	heard	of	people	having	to	create	dossiers	every	nine	months	to	prove	they	are	looking	for	work	and	that	have	to	attend	many	meetings	during	which	they	get	the	feeling	of	being	interrogated.	What	is	difficult	is	that	you	are	actually	never	really	not	working,	you	are	just	not	always	being	paid	for	what	you	do	and	there	is	never	enough	time	to	do	it	all.	Therefore,	all	the	hours	I	spend	chasing	extra	paperwork	take	away	time	for	creating	or	finding	my	next	job.	Still,	I	can	understand	that	they	need	to	be	strict	to	avoid	abuse,	so	I	am	not	sure	how	this	can	be	solved.		  Lastly,	once	you	are	in	the	system,	there	are	no	short	cuts.	I	am	not	talking	about	illegal	shortcuts	but	as	an	artist	you	have	to	color	outside	the	lines	sometimes.	Not	all	that	we	do	fits	in	the	formulas	that	are	understood	by	the	administration.	Once	you	are	in	the	system,	you	have	to	prove	everything	you	spend	and	how	you	spend	all	your	time.	You	end	up	having	to	be	creative	about	how	to	justify	your	unemployment	benefits	and	this	is	both	time	consuming,	difficult	and	demoralizing.	So	basically,	I	am	happy	to	have	the	artist	status	as	a	back	up.	This	does	give	a	sense	of	a	safety	net	that	creates	at	least	some	support	for	the	precarious	nature	of	what	we	do.	As	I	am	trying	to	learn	to	make	a	more	livable	planning	for	myself	these	days,	I	may	come	to	rely	more	on	the	artist	status	in	the	future.			AVA:	Like	you	said,	our	survey	also	shows	that	contemporary	dance	artists	tend	to	work	many	unpaid	hours.	Almost	half	of	the	respondents	are	paid	for	maximum	half	of	their	actual	working	hours.	This	suggests	that	the	division	between	work	and	private	life	is	increasingly	blurred.	How	many	hours	a	day	would	you	say	you	work?		DH:	Twenty-four!	Of	course	I’m	still	sleeping	sometimes,	but	I	work	almost	all	day,	every	day.	Actually,	there	is	no	average	week.	It	really	switches	according	to	what	we	are	working	on	at	the	moment.	When	there’s	a	concrete	rehearsal	period,	project	or	teaching	assignment,	this	dictates	what’s	happening	around	it.	My	instinct	is	to	fill	up	empty	periods,	as	I	did	recently,	because	I’ve	got	to	make	money.	This	time,	however,	I	said	‘no’	and	decided	I	was	just	going	to	be	at	home,	because	I’m	really	on	the	verge	of	a	burn-out.	Instead,	I	postponed	some	things	to	be	at	home	and	to	work	on	my	body,	because	I	was	actually	having	some	physical	problems.	I	was	starting	to	feel	like	I	was	falling	apart.	However,	in	those	periods	the	interweaving	of	work	and	life	becomes	even	more	complex,	because	I’m	always	multitasking.	If	I’m	cooking,	for	instance,	I	have	my	weights	and	my	barbells	in	the	kitchen,	and	I	might	be	checking	e-mails	at	the	same	time,	or	listening	to	music	I	want	to	use.	I’m	constantly	combining	too	many	things,	which	I’m	also	trying	to	do	less,	because	I	think	that’s	another	reason	why	my	brain	is	in	overdrive.			AVA:	What	you’re	describing	here	reminds	me	of	the	phenomenon	that	economist	Guy	Standings	calls	a	‘precariatised	mind’,	which	is	a	permanent	stand-by	feeling	or	a	feeling	of	having	far	too	much	to	do	at	all	times	combined	with	the	sense	that	taking	a	time-out	would	entail	the	risk	of	missing	opportunitiesiv.	Also,	Bojana	Kunst	mentioned	that	in	the	project-oriented	regime	“we	work	so	much	that	we	never	again	have	time	for	ourselves	and	others;	due	to	the	amount	of	work	and	the	intensity	of	our	self-realization,	we	can	actually	burn	out	in	life”.v		DH:	Yes,	I	also	am	trying	to	learn	that	I	don’t	need	to	pack	every	second	of	my	calendar,	but	I’m	very	bad	at	this.	The	minute	I	see	a	gap,	I	panic.	Maybe	I	have	to	find	another	way	to	do	things,	as	I	realize	that	this	limbo-state,	the	state	between	two	states,	is	the	one	that	takes	the	most	energy.	And	what’s	happening	often	in	culture	is	that	you	stay	in	survival	mode	for	too	long,	which	is	a	limbo-state	as	well;	survival	is	neither	dead	nor	alive,	it’s	trying	to	stay	alive.	This	state	demands	such	an	amazing	amount	of	energy	that	it’s	almost	inevitable	that	you’re	going	to	burn	out	at	some	point,	because	you	just	can’t	keep	it	up	for	years.	It	is	just	not	healthy	on	any	level.		  AVA:	This	resembles	a	concept	introduced	by	Lauren	Berlant,	‘slow	death’,	which	is	the	current	phenomenon	of	populations	that	are	just	wearing	out.	It	refers	to	people	becoming	more	obese	for	instance,	but	also	to	people	working	all	the	time	or	doing	so	many	things	at	the	same	time,	they	just	don’t	know	what	to	do	anymore,	besides	to	keep	going	on	anyway.	In	a	way	it	refers	to	what	you	called	survival	mode:	trying	to	stay	alive	but	slowly	dying,	or	burning	out,	mentally	as	well	as	physicallyvi.			DH:	However,	now	we’re	trying	to	change	now	this,	as	the	survival	mode	made	it	impossible	to	enjoy	what	we	are	doing	anymore.	I	have	never	made	a	piece	that	looks	like	what	I	think	it	should	look	like,	even	with	the	great	dancers	I’m	working	with.	It	maybe	gets	good	after	a	while.	For	instance,	Hullaballoo	is	a	piece	with	seven	people	on	stage	with	a	lot	of	choreographic	material.	It	actually	requires	a	part-time	company	of	people	who	are	together	regularly	to	work	on	this	material,	but	we	don’t	have	the	infrastructure	for	this.	We	have	everybody	coming	in	from	abroad,	but	we	are	unable	to	pay	for	rehearsal	time.	Therefore	I	have	to	make	rehearsals	as	short	as	possible.	So	we	retake	the	show	far	too	fast,	which	is	a	big	problem	actually,	because	my	work	so	detailed.		So	the	big	question	is:	how	to	continue	doing	this	when	once	we’ve	had	the	creation	process,	there	immediately	is	this	survival	mode	again?	And	then	all	of	these	life	questions	that	you	never	actually	ask	yourself	start	to	pop	up,	because	you’re	just	happy	to	make	it	to	the	end	of	the	season	and	hope	that	you	still	have	work	the	season	after.	In	fact,	to	be	a	freelance	artist	is	to	be	perpetually	unemployed.	You	are	always	looking	for	the	next	job,	and	even	when	you	have	many	jobs,	you’re	still	unemployed.	It’s	exhausting,	but	there’s	also	something	fantastic	about	it.	I	kind	of	enjoy	it,	or	at	least	I	used	to	enjoy	more,	that	I’m	able	to	plan	my	entire	year.	I	decide	what	I	do	and	when	I	do	it	and	that’s	rare	in	this	world.	So,	it’s	really	a	privilege	in	a	certain	way,	like	I	mentioned	before,	but	what	comes	with	it	is	a	nightmare.			AVA:	Have	you	thought	about	how	this	state	has	affected	your	artistic	work?	For	instance,	could	you	think	about	Sketches	on	Scarlatti,	your	latest	creation,	and	how	it	was	it	affected	by	this	this	survival	mode?		DH:	With	Scarlatti	as	a	reference	point,	you	hit	the	nail	on	the	head.	A	festival	in	Bonn	was	supposed	to	present	Hullabaloo,	my	previous	work,	but	then	they	couldn't	afford	it.	Because	we	don’t	have	structural	subsidies,	we	have	to	charge	exactly	what	it	costs	us	to	do	the	show,	which	is	too	expensive	for	many.	However,	they	really	wanted	us	in	their	program	and	asked	us	if	we	could	make	a	small	work-in-progress.	As	usual,	I	said	‘yes’	and	ended	up	making	an	evening-length	piece	in	two	weeks.	Nonetheless,	it	was	received	very	well,	so	it	became	part	of	this	season’s	repertoire.	It	gave	us	the	ability	to	disembarrass	ourselves	from	this	difficult	situation	of	subsidy	cuts	and	lack	of	money	and	to	make	something	that	avoids	all	this,	with	relatively	little	stress	on	the	organizational	level.	So	this	became	a	strategy:	we	had	a	new	piece,	but	we	didn’t	have	to	apply	for	funding	to	create	it.	Hopefully	it	keeps	our	face	in	the	market	and	buys	us	time.		However,	what	suffers	from	this	is	the	process.	We	made	the	piece	in	two	weeks	and	we	had	three	more	weeks	to	finish	it	with	the	rest	of	the	coproduction	budget.	I	love	working	outside	of	the	funding	system,	and	I	would	do	it	all	the	time	if	I	could.	It	gives	you	much	more	artistic	freedom	and	ways	to	spend	your	money	on	art	rather	than	on	bookkeeping.	Sketches	on	Scarlatti	is	strategic.	We	have	been	trying	to	sell	it	relatively	  cheap,	so	it	is	hard	to	say	‘no’	to.		Also,	now	we	have	a	range	of	projects:	there	are	four	projects	at	the	moment	that	we	can	sell	in	different	price	categories.			AVA:	Why	can	Sketches	on	Scarlatti	be	so	cheap?	What	are	the	aspects	of	the	show	that	make	it	so	easy	to	sell?		DH:	There’s	no	set	and	very	little	preparation	is	required.	It’s	a	piece	that	can	be	set	and	performed	on	the	same	day,	if	needed.	So	that	takes	away	extra	hotel	costs,	and	extra	theater	costs	among	other	things.	In	comparison,	for	For	Movement’s	Sake	we	need	at	least	a	day	to	be	in	the	theater	to	build	the	set.	Because	we	don’t	get	to	prepare	and	we	don’t	get	to	perform	regularly	enough,	there	is	always	a	period	during	which	we’re	working	for	free	to	put	the	show	back	up.	Additionally,	the	dancers	in	Sketches	on	Scarlatti	don’t	come	from	all	over	the	world.	All	three	of	us	are	based	in	Brussels.	I	had	to	do	that,	and	luckily,	I’m	happy	with	the	people!	But	it’s	a	pity	that	I	meet	a	lot	of	people	who	are	great,	and	that	I’d	love	to	work	with,	but	I	don’t	see	any	possibility	to	bring	them	to	Brussels	right	now.	This	would	costs	a	lot	of	money	and	a	lot	of	extra	administration	work	that	is	hard	for	a	small	organization	like	us	to	handle.			AVA:	Is	there	anything	positive	you	can	imagine	that	comes	out	of	the	survival	mode?		DH:	I	have	found	a	good	way	to	keep	my	practice	going.	For	example,	I’ll	be	teaching	for	five	weeks.	At	the	same	time,	I	have	the	Scarlatti-project	that	needs	to	be	maintained.	Both	dancers	I’m	working	with	for	Sketches	on	Scarlatti	will	be	taking	the	class	and	that	enables	me	to	keep	the	artistic	process	going.	They	don’t	get	paid	for	that,	unfortunately.	However,	I	also	had	them	teach	Scarlatti-material	to	the	students	at	the	Kunsthumaniora	in	Brussels.	So	like	this,	we’re	constantly	finding	ways	to	keep	people	employed	but	at	the	same	time	keep	them	working	on	the	material,	and	keep	them	in	the	scene.	There	are	ways	to	be	very	creative	about	keeping	the	process	going,	which	actually,	even	if	we	had	money	all	the	time,	I	would	still	want	to	pursue.	Now	it	is	motivated	by	a	survival	tactics,	but	it	actually	greatly	benefits	the	work.	You	become	clever	at	finding	ways	to	keep	everybody	employed	and	at	the	same	time	keep	the	artistic	process	growing	and	the	practice	going.	And	that	is	a	skill	that	I	think	is	also	getting	lost	these	days.		Annelies	Van	Assche	is	a	dance	scholar	and	works	as	a	PhD	researcher	at	Ghent	University	(S:PAM)	and	KU	Leuven	(CeSo).	Together	with	Rudi	Laermans,	she	released	a	descriptive	report	on	the	socio-economic	position	of	contemporary	dance	artists	in	Brussels	(2016)	and	Berlin	(2017).	This	quantitative	study	is	part	of	the	comprehensive	FWO-funded	research	project	‘Choreographies	of	Precariousness:	A	Transdisciplinary	Study	of	the	Working	and	Living	Conditions	in	the	Contemporary	Dance	Scenes	of	Brussels	and	Berlin’	(supervised	by	Rudi	Laermans,	Katharina	Pewny	and	Christel	Stalpaert).	A	shorter	version	of	this	interview	was	previously	published	in	Etcetera	–	Tijdschrift	voor	Podiumkunsten	#147	in	Dutch.		More	info:	http://s-pam.ugent.be/news-events/news/secondreport-berlin.htm	You	can	download	the	full	report	and	annexes	at	the	bottom	of	this	webpage.		i Sorignet,	Pierre	Emannuelle.	2010.	Danser:	enquête	dans	les	coulisses	d'une	vocation	(Paris:	La	Découverte). ii	Sabisch,	Petra.	"Für	eine	Topologie	der	Praktiken.	Eine	Studie	zur	Situation	der	zeitgenössischen,	experimentellen	Tanz-,	Choreographie-	und	Performancekunst	in	Europa	(1990-2013)".	In:	Das	Freie	Theater	im	Europa	der	Gegenwart:	Strukturen-Ästhetik-Kulturpolitik.	(Brauneck,	M.,	and	ITI	Zentrum	Deutschland	eds.).	Vol.	79.	Bielefeld:	Transcript	Verlag.	2016:	pp.	45-190. 																																																								  																																																																																																																																																																													iii	Lorey,	Isabell.	"Governmentality	and	Self-Precarization:	On	the	Normalization	of	Cultural	Producers."	In:	Art	and	Contemporary	Critical	Practice:	Reinventing	Institutional	Critique.	London:	MayFlybooks.	2006.	pp.	187-202.	iv	Standing,	Guy.	2014.	A	Precariat	Charter:	From	Denizens	to	Citizens.	London:	Bloomsbury	Publishing.	v	Kunst,	Bojana.	Artist	at	Work.	Proximity	of	Art	and	Capitalism.	VersoBooks.	2015.	vi	Berlant,	Lauren.	"Slow	death	(sovereignty,	obesity,	lateral	agency)."	Critical	Inquiry.	2007.	33	(4):	754–780.	

The ups and downs of being an artist

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8571583/file/8571584

The ups and downs of being an artist

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Ghent University Academic Bibliography