The Parlour Collective

The Parlour Collective was formed in 2006 via a series of shows in Pimlico, London that explored relationships between, space memory, and action and has continued to evolve through its track record of working with various sites and communities. The Parlour Collective have previously been involved in producing shows in numerous unique historical locations across the world, from operating theatres to small islands, working to bridge unique space surrounding stories and communities. They have recently been exploring the filmic elements of landscape performance through brief residencies at Surnadal Billag, Norway in 2019 and 2021 which resulted in the production of three award-winning films, and a desire to further research the performative aspects of film.  

The Parlour Collective are a group of artists who use performance and film as a way of exploring the relationships between the psychological and somatic aspects of landscape and the lived environment, tracing out the delicate fractures and patterns present. Through this we aim to unearth the small moments of play which underpin the human experience of place; those small suspensions of disbelief which give rise to the narratives unique to each landscape. We have recently been exploring the filmic elements of landscape performance through brief residencies at Surnadal Billag, Surnadal in 2019 and 2021 which resulted in the projects ‘Shifting Landscapes’ and ‘Scenes, Overheard’ (described by artist Lindsay Seers as “Profound, absurd, beautiful and resonant. Playful, poetic and hilarious.”) and ‘From One Place, Another’ in Tuscany, all of which attempted to weave together impressions of the landscape with the activities and stories of its inhabitants. We wish to expand this research further,  examining the intersections where topography is mediated and metamorphosed via body and story, and the overlaps of body and landscape, mapping out the relationship with space. We are very excited at the prospect of working with new landscapes/environments and communities, examining how a relationship with surrounding landscapes can shape the psyche of small urban spaces and attempting to tease out new narratives from these intersections of architecture, wilderness, transitory space, and memory. 

We welcome the opportunity to develop our work through the Saari Residence, exploring its incredible landscape and the culture that it embodies as the basis for a series of new collaborative film-performance works that engage with the site-specific nature of the place, and the possibilities that arise from the wider nature of collaboration. 

The Parlour Collective