Self-directed task of Joana Tischau
Joana Tishchau IPP2 performance "fieldwork"

I saw her IPP2 performance last week, which I really really liked. I read the sheet about that work before I saw the performance, so it was easier to understand what she is about. The performance was really well made, I liked everything about it - the space that she chosen, the audience layout, the objects she used, the music and way to include it and, of course, her own actions in it. I liked the naturalism and context, familiars to reality which most of us actually experience. Especially I do, because I also came into another country and I am so familiar to all these things she showed. Some personal interests of her, which she involved, was also very interesting; I liked that she included her native language and that she made a rhythm using it, which was really fun and impressive. The nakedness gave her performance very personal meanings as well and gave the reality sense. The composition and choreography was also used very well. It was really professional and understandable for everyone, which is really good, because it extends range of possible audience. It was her own space, her being as a center of her life and experience in a wide world context, with a touch of sociological meanings.

She gave us a suggestion to think about our own culture, cultural and social rearm; the things that we are engaged with.
Influenced by these questions and her work, I had some thoughts about it, some general ones. I feel being different being here, in England. First of all, it's because people obviously point it, like saying it straight ahead, like excepting me somehow from all the others, like some different rules would be set for me as a foreigner. Unfortunately, I am not usually happy about that. However, being a foreigner and seeing the differences between cultures, acknowledgment of both of them is really good for me, it broadens my horizons, make me become more open-minded, give me ability to choose and find priorities and possibilities. As long as I can cope with unpleasant things I face here being foreigner, it makes me stronger and even better as a human, as well as an artist.
Joana also forced me to think about stereotypes. And, in addition, what does it mean "being an artist" for me? Thinking about stereotypes, as much as I noticed, people unrelated to art usually have a stereotypical thought, that artists are not so clever, like they are a bit insane and not able to understand and cope with "earthly" problems. However, there are people who think artists to be gifted, and there is much more truth I think. In my opinion, artists are people who look deeper into humanity, into values, human being priorities and beauty in the world rather then concentrating on materials. I think, that is why we are people - not animals, that is why brain for us is given, that we would understand the meaning of our life rather than thinking about how to make our life easier in order to survive. That's what "being an artist" means for me. This is my way of life, this is a way to express myself, this is the way to improve myself as a human. What can be better than your work being the way you love to be improved? :))) That's why I would never agree myself to be a careerist.