Pure Collaborations, touring exhibition [2006]

In Manuel Vason’s 'Pure Collaborations' with other artists, a performance work is either restaged anew or uniquely developed, specifically for his camera. These projects differ in principle from conventional documentation of performance in that Vason is always the sole witness to the singular live event, which also takes place in a non-theatrical space of the artists’ choosing. Each collaboration is predicated on a series of mutual concerns: a challenge to the relationship between performance and the photographic document; a fascination with the body; and the exploration of new forms of collaborative practice. In 2006 this exhibition toured both nationally within the UK and internationally: - Espaço Tom Jobim – Jardim Botånico part of Panorama Festival Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - VB-Valokuvakeskus Photographic Centre, curated by Anna Vilkuna, Kuopio, Finland - Fierce Festival in Birmingham hosted a selection of images from ‘Pure Collaboration’ for a show at the Mailbox Centre, UK - Preset Gallery, Nottingham UK - Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium - Tramway, Glasgow, National Review of Live Art, UK