Interview
Nefeli Skarmea interviewed by Barbara Clausen, Kristin Poor, and Tracy Robinson, September 17, 2020.
Nefeli Skarmea is a former dancer and currently a movement director, yoga instructor, and art curator based in London and Geneva. This interview focuses on Skarmeaâs choreography work with Jonas at Documenta 13 in 2012 and Tate in 2018.
Transcript
- “Nefeli Skarmea interviewed by Barbara Clausen, Kristin Poor, and Tracy Robinson, September 17, 2020 (Interview Transcript).” Joan Jonas Knowledge Base, Artist Archives Initiative, 2021.
Abstract
The interview begins with Skarmea explaining how she met Jonas and started working with her in 2012 at Documenta 13. Skarmea, then an intern at Documenta 13, was instructed to assist and help produce Jonasâs piece Reanimation [00:00â09:08]. From here, Skarmea describes how she went from working on Reanimation with Jonas to the next project, which would be performances of Jonasâs pieces Mirror Piece, Delay Delay, and Mirage at Tate in 2018. During this time, Skarmea touches on the casting for these performances [09:09 â15:57]. Poor then inquires about the detailed process of reconstructing these works, including what it was like for Skarmea to look at the old scripts and what kinds of notes and photographs Jonas was able to find to help jog her memory [16:09â29:52]. Clausen also asks Skarmea if she has any thoughts around the early seventies context in which Organic Honey, Mirage, and Delay Delay were performed for the first time in Italy and if Jonas has spoken to her about this important time in her career [29:55â33:52]. Moving on, Skarmea speaks about the documentation at Tate, the score for Delay Delay and watching the rehearsals of Mirage [33:53â41:14]. The interview wraps up with Skarmea giving advice for future curators who might want to restage a performance by Jonas and she touches on how working with Jonas has impacted her own career [41:15â52:07].
Additional Materials
