Cross-arts Production Methods Utilising Collectives

The very notion of ‘cross-arts’ calls for large collaborations of artists that serve different art disciplines and are eager to spend time in an artistic collective environment. The roles of the participants are not always distinct; in these productions artists acquire roles in a variety of production elements. Work may be co-directed and music improvised by a group of musicians, and artists can have multiple roles as choreographers, directors or production managers. Within this thesis, I propose a methodology of how to develop a contemporary artistic collective; thus proposing ways of how to produce a cross-arts collective project. I give examples of works in which I participate as a composer and producer through the collective arts group Medea Electronique. These are collective cross-arts works that involve a number of practices like music, dance, video art, photography, set design, animation, and installation art. Simultaneously, examples of collective production ethics and practices are introduced within the context of Koumaria Residency that I established in 2009. When working on collective cross-arts productions, practical issues often dictate how the piece is created. I expand on these practical issues and propose methods for calling artists, sharing the profits, and organising a cross-arts production. Moreover, I take as a hypothesis that collective work is a serious answer to underfunded non-commercial art forms that aim to produce alternative art within limited budgets.