Studio Là-bas→ is a studio space in the basement of The Cable Factory, Helsinki, rented by Irma Optimist and transformed into a performance and event space by Lauri Luhta. Since 2000, the studio has hosted dozens of performance, sound and media art events called "Là-bas→" (French for "over there," "down there"). With the expansion of Là-bas activities to other venues and numerous international festivals, the active use of Studio Là-bas→ fell short in the 2010's, but is now starting again in a new form. In the future, in addition to live art events, the space will host exhibitions that the artist can produce and complete in the studio in complete peace. At the same time, the curators of the exhibitions, Jenni and Lauri Luhta, will analytically examine the artist's entire body of work and compile a presentation of it in collaboration with the artist as part of the event. Such a person-centered, retrospective reflection is not often realised other than in connection with museum exhibitions. However, this approach was already used at the Là-bas→ festival Self as the Third (2017). At that event, the Helsinki Cable Factory's giant Merikaapelihalli was transformed for a single day's time to a museum-like space, where performance art was restored to its original context of visual art by placing live performances, objects, installations and video projections side by side to represent both their makers' entire body of work the current stage of their development.
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