Experimental performances

On Sunday, 18 September, the eighth installment of Dimanche Rouge will be held at Petit Bain, a floating concert hall and art space on the Seine. A mini-festival of experimental performances founded in Paris, Dimanche Rouge offers a consistent opportunity for artists to present their work. Founded by Opie Boero Imwinkelried less than a year ago, Dimanche Rouge has a variety of ambitious projects underway, including (launching just this month) a Saturday laboratories component that, through a network of local sponsors, will connect artists globally via Livestream the day before monthly performance. Imwinkelried asked me to curate a Her Royal Majesty reading series for September’s edition – come to see Paris Literary Prize winner Rosa Rankin Gee, Literary Death Match founder Todd Zuniga, and poet and author of The Golden Bristled-Boar Jeffrey Greene read from their work.

When asked about where the idea came from, Imwinkelried said “I started Dimanche Rouge because, from my own experience as an experimental performance artist, I learned that it was almost impossible to find a space in Paris to perform regularly. You had to either rent a venue from your own pocket or draw a fairly large public willing to pay to see your performance. Now, there is a space for experimental artists to perform in Paris every third Sunday of the month!”

Don’t be deterred by the word “experimental,” either – Imwinkelried explained that while it isn’t easy to define what makes a performance experimental, “one important aspect involves taking risks. When you work experimentally, you challenge the traditional cannons of expression. Dimanche Rouge wants maximum risk.”

For details, please visit their website