Hope in Motion

Hope in Motion is a study on civic engagement and collective action through mass choreography and semaphore flags as part of the residency

''Semaphore Dialogues: Signals of Change"

“Semaphore Dialogues: Signals of Change”

“Hope in Motion” is a project featuring series of workshops that aim to spark reflection on Hope in Motion and explore practical skills for moving together towards a more sustainable future.The project is part of the residency “Semaphore Dialogues: Signals of Change” supported by Intercult, where the researcher and circus artist Marie-Andrée Robitaille draws parallels between the semaphore system in the Baltic Sea and our collective ability to communicate and move together. The semaphore serves as a metaphorical entry point for reflecting on signs, signals, and our capacity to engage in climatic transitions.The residency starts on September 2024 and ends on December 2024.

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The residency is under the umbrella of Turning the Tide, a European cooperation co-funded by Creative Europe. Turning The Tide (TTT) is dedicated to addressing the pressing issue of climate change through the lens of artistic and cultural practices. It uses a cultural planning methodology and works with socially engaged artists to lead an international experiment that explores the potential contributions of artists and local communities, residents to the climate change narrative, and explores climate justice. The project spans across four European cities, each facing unique challenges related to climate change, particularly in waterfront zones.

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Workshop series on Making and Moving flags

Marie-Andrée Robitaille and Irene Gregoriou faciliated series of workshops in different contexts.

On the 21st of October an open workshop for the public was facilitated in Frihamnstorget

The workshops inlcuded:

  • Introduction to semaphore signs and signals and their relevance for today’s context

  • Hands-on flag-making and collective choreography with semaphore flags

  • Opening a dialogue on Hope in Motion and the necessity to develop abilities for Moving Together Performing a collective wave of Hope for the future

  • Gathering and sending hopeful messages for the future

21st of October 2024, Frihamnstorget

Learn more here :

About the facilitators

Marie-Andrée Robitaille is a multidisciplinary artist, pedagogue, and researcher. She holds a PhD in Fine Arts, specializing in choreography within performative and media-based practices, from Stockholm University of the Arts. Marie-Andree Robitaille currently explores circus arts' epistemic, ontological, and ethical specificities through a Posthuman lens and New Materialist approaches to composition and performance. The project advances a philosophy of circus that highlights circus-specific kinetic, aesthetic and embodied knowledge, situating circus arts as hopeful practices for the future.

Irene Gregoriou is working at the Blivande participatory platform for the development of community-centered projects and dance initiatives. She holds a bachelor in Pedagogy and Primary Education from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her interests span across pedagogy, dance improvisation practices and performative formats focusing on perceiving the individual in broader ecologies