Elaine becomes fellow of MILL’s Beauty Reality Salon 2024
Needcompany is delighted to announce the laureate of MILL’s annual Beauty Reality Salon fellowship: British Afro-Caribbean vocalist, movement artist, and composer Elaine Mitchener! Now in its fourth edition, this fellowship aligns closely with Needcompany’s core values as an artist house that, since 1986, has prioritized individual artists and continually explored the boundaries of artistic creation.
“We are proud and excited to present this award to an artist whose creative journey to date is as inspiring as her desire and commitment to continuously reexamine and refine her artistic process. In her practice, she blends performing arts, sound, and music with a personal exploration of cultural and social identity in a captivating way that leaves us wanting more. Her multifaceted talent, generosity, and modesty are not only impressive but also resonate with the spirit of Needcompany – a collective of artists dedicated to exploring human vulnerability and the complexity of the human condition.” — Ana Brzezińska, external jury.
WHAT IS MILL’S BEAUTY REALITY SALON?
MILL’S BEAUTY REALITY SALON was born in 2020 out of the desire to continue the multidisciplinary artistic exploration that Needcompany began more than 30 years ago. We want to create a space in which to keep heritage on the move and open ourselves up for new encounters with artists of different generations, experiences and visions.As an funded independent theatre organisation in Flanders, we feel an urge to share resources in the current crisis, to create possibilities for those in need and to create awareness of the sensibility and precariousness of those who keep the arts alive.
MILL’S BEAUTY REALITY SALON is related to MILL – Needcompany’s artistic house in the heart of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, which, since March 2017, has been a place for thinking, creating, rehearsing, connecting and exchanging.
MILL’S BEAUTY REALITY SALON is neither a residency nor a production-oriented programme. We are explicitly committed to supporting artists in thinking, dreaming and creating timelessly.Our wish is to support the artistic process by providing an environment and the required resources. A fellowship of 10 000 euro will be awarded to (or divided among) the selected person(s). This amount is meant explicitly to support artists by giving them the opportunity to think and create timelessly and not in a result-oriented way. Therefore, it can, but doesn’t have to be spent on production expenses. Each proposal will be analysed in terms of the specific needs indicated by an artist.
Photo credit: Maarten Seghers