Erste Schritte zu den Schwellen (First Steps Towards the Thresholds)
In October and November, artists Camiló Pachon and Zwoisy Mears-Clarke will be staying in Kortrijk. Studio Texture will be their studio for two months. The artists will collaborate on the procession Erste Schritte zu den Schwellen, which will be presented in Lille. Zwoisy Mears-Clarke will be responsible for the performance, while Camiló Pachon will create the masks. Using German folklore as their starting point, they will create a new version of the performance. 
Getting to know traditional techniques for working with natural materials and the creative ways in which those traditions are kept alive: for me, that is one of the most valuable aspects of this project.
RESIDENCY
Camilo Pachón is a multidisciplinary artist who combines art and craft. Camilo Pachón explores the transformative power of masks and rituals. In doing so, he connects elements from Latin American cultures with those from Germany, for example. Together with local makers and creatives, Camilo Pachón sets to work making masks. Local raw materials, textile traditions and techniques are the source of inspiration. In Studio Texture, Camilo Pachón will immerse himself in flax cultivation, weaving techniques and textile crafts from the region. Here, too, he invites visitors and residents to participate in a creative dialogue during a series of workshops in which participants make masks together with the artist. 

Zwoisy Mears-Clarke wants to bring people together and therefore considers themself a choreographer of encounters. Inspired by German folklore in which masked figures chase away winter, Zwoisy brings different worlds together in Erste Schritte zu den Schwellen. In this modern procession, it is not winter that is being chased away, but systems of oppression such as racism, gender binarity and ableism. Dance, audio description, poetry and storytelling come together in unexpected encounters. The choreographic space is used to bring professionals and amateurs together, with a strong focus on accessibility: from integrated audio description to tactile and audible costumes. The procession becomes a place where perspectives shift and interaction arises – in contrast to social structures that often separate and alienate people. Two characters take centre stage and are portrayed by different performers at the same time. Each version of this performance is created with people on site, causing the procession to continuously transform and enter into dialogue with its surroundings. 
Erste Schritte zu den Schwellen is a gentle but powerful invitation to pause and reflect on the boundaries we cross every day – geographical, social or personal – and on the people who have to find their way across them time and time again.
Info Workshop
Camilo Pachón invites you to get started with natural materials and local crafts. In this co-creation workshop, you will make unique masks together with the artist, which will be worn during the performance Erste Schritte zu den Schwellen. You can participate for one or more days.

The workshops will take place on Friday 10, Saturday 11, and Sunday 12, Friday 24, Saturday 25, and Sunday 26 October.


Texture Museum
Noordstraat 28
8500 Kortrijk (Belgium)