Artist talks: Joel Bray Dance & Sticky Productions

Date: Sunhay 21st of June
Time: 12:30-13:30 
Location: Pride House, Legenes Hus – Christiania Torv 5, 0158 Oslo
Language: Engelsk
 

12:30-13:00: Sticky Productions in conversation with Tine Semb: 
About body, movement, queerness and how this enriches our understanding of nature, diversity and human encounters.

Sticky Productions has created performances such as Økohelter and OOZE that explore and celebrate the queer, the intimate and the spectacular. In OOZE they use snails as a slimy metaphor for queerness, reminding us that same-sex sexual behavior has always been a natural part of the animal world. The dance opens up a tactile landscape for bodily experiences, desire and imagination. Since 2018, Tine Semb and Karmaklubb* have been a driving force for queer visibility, diversity and the celebration of love, desire and joy. Through club nights, artist talks, performance art and much more, they have created space for knowledge exchange and expanded the audience for queer expressions. Together they will explore how art, dance and activism can help to highlight and celebrate the diversity that has always been – and always will be – a part of nature and society.

13:00-13:30: Joel Bray in conversation with Sarakka Gaup:
In this conversation, two queer performing artists meet, both working from an indigenous perspective.

Together with the Sami actor and playwright Sarakka Gaup, the Aboriginal dance artist and storyteller Joel Bray will discuss and share experiences related to their origins and respective performing arts practices, how they deal with themes of history, identity and belonging. Bray lives in Naarm (Melbourne) and is a proud Wiradjuri man. His artistic practice stems from his cultural heritage. His work creates close encounters in non-traditional spaces, where the audience is invited in as co-narrators to explore the experiences of light-skinned Aboriginal people, and the experiences of modern gay men in an increasingly digital and isolated world. His body becomes an intersection between indigenous heritage, skin color, and queer sexuality.

Sarakka Gaup/Ellana Bireha Áillu Sarakka is a Norwegian-Sami actor from Oslo and Kautokeino. Gaup has been employed by many of Norway's theater institutions, e.g. The Norwegian Theatre, Hålogaland Theatre, the Sami National Theater Beaivváš, Kloden Theatre, Unge Viken Theatre, as well as the Riksteatern in Stockholm and Giron Sámi Theater - The Sami Theater in Sweden. She also has extensive experience from TV and film, as well as the free performing arts. In addition to being an actor, Gaup is a playwright. She is also employed at Samisk Hus in Oslo, where she works with language, art and cultural arrangements. Gaup has been awarded the Sami Parliament's Culture and Sports Scholarship and the Savings Bank Foundation's Northern Norway Talent Scholarship for her work. She holds a BA in acting from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, and is now taking an MA at the same institution.

Tine Semb is an artist, editor, publisher, writer, beer brewer/lover, wine nerd, clubber, sometimes a DJ, likes to build things and to celebrate love, desire, and joy. Semb is founder, organiser, and curator of Karmaklubb* — which is also the coordinator for Abjectified Project. Karmaklubb* is an autonomous nomadic queer platform, an ever-morphing space for queer visibility and celebration. Growing out of contemporary arts (visual, audible, performative, and discursive formats) with a strong focus on diversity, queerness, and the freedom of speech, Karmaklubb* aim through collaboration, gatherings, and cross-disciplinary strategies to lay the grounds for exchange of knowledge as well as to constantly broaden the audiences and impacts of such expressions. Besides club evenings and nights, the programme consists of open conversations, curatorial work, screenings, artist talks, film production, panels, educational formats, concerts, performance art, Drag, sauna, wine tastings, ‘trojan horsing’ (experimental strategies for visibility), ale, food, and much more. It is also a research and publishing hub: IGWTLI publishing. Since 2018 Karmaklubb*, has realised more than 400 projects (start of 2026) in Norway and internationally, on- and offline.