Nomadics

Nomadics

Tosoma

Bonkersfest

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Poems by Rachel Lehrman

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Feature page

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Poetry

By Rachel Lehrman

Nomadic-Collaborations is an interdisciplinary and international arts-collective. Our goal is to help artists expand their practices and their perspectives through artistic collaboration. We believe that by working together, we can overcome artistic, personal, cultural and intellectual boundaries.

Presently, collective members work in a variety of fields including creative writing, theatre, fashion design, sculpture, sound composition, installation, photography, and net art. Additionally, we have collaborated with dancers, set-designers, builders and technicians. By uniting our visions and talents, we aim to produce fuller, more sensory works, bringing our individual areas of expertise into new and unusual contexts.

Founded in London in 2004, the collective first came together as part of a yearlong investigation in collaboration. After accepting a sound-composer and set-designer into the project, I sent out a call for new media artists on the ACE (Arts Council England) electronic mailing list. In less than a week, I received over 150 enquiries. Artists circulated the notice not only across theatres and galleries in London, but across continents. I received emails from artists in countries as far away as Singapore and Mexico, working in disciplines ranging from film and net-art, to theatre and dance.

Since then, Nomadic-Collaborations has developed three main programmes: Nomadic-Productions, Nomadic-Connections, and a Net-Art Programme also known as Tosoma. All of these programmes function on both local and international levels.

In accordance with its name, Nomadic-Productions works primarily as a production company. Collective members work together to co-produce and direct large-scale projects. We also collaborate artistically on these projects, both locally and with our international members, sharing our skills and expertise in order to realise visions that we could not create individually. Each collaboration works differently, and we remain open to new ways of working together.

Nomadics, 2005
4,000 square foot installation

in collaboration with sculptor
Orly Orbach

One of our earliest exhibitions, Phantasmagoria, took place in collaboration with the Hayward Gallery’s youth-outreach programme. Collective members have since continued working with community and arts organisations, lending our artistic skills and abilities, and providing practical advice. Nomadic-Connections helps community groups use art to further their visions, and provides opportunities for artists and non-artists to communicate creatively and to learn from one another. Most recently, we have teamed up with Creative Routes, a London-based charity run by mental-health survivors to help launch Bonkersfest 2006. Along with the South London Gallery and the Young Vic Theatre, Nomadics is currently helping Creative Routes coordinate the 2007 festival, which will take place on 2 June on Camberwell Green, London.

Phanatsmagoria, 2004

Bonkersfest, 2006—
Sharon Baker & Lastonet

Directed by collective member Eileen Botsford, our Net Art division, Tosoma, showcases online based public art projects. Projects are set by Eileen, often in collaboration with Nomadic-Productions and are judged by an international panel of new-media artists. Judges work and live in areas such as Seattle, London, Athens, Berlin, and Barcelona. In conjunction with our upcoming project, Understorey, Nomadics will be hosting a joint net art and literary exhibition in January 2008.

from The Journey,
a net art piece designed by Eileen Botsford in collaboration with Nomadics—
the installation, 2005

For more information about the collective or to find out how to get involved, please visit:
www.nomadic-collaborations.com, or email.