HOME by Vera Boitcova

HOME is part of Vera Boitcova’s ongoing doctoral artistic research that explores the notions of home and belonging within queer migrant dramaturgies. Expanding this inquiry, Boitcova brought together four queer migrant artists currently based in Helsinki to reflect on themes of displacement, absence/presence, and the complex meanings of belonging. The project consisted of four workshops designed by Boitcova to methodologically experiment with the languages of queer migrant dramaturgy. These workshops aimed to create a space for collaborative experimentation and exploration, where participants could test how personal practices and lived experiences might be translated into shared, performative forms. The sessions also facilitated the discussion of artistic methods and ideas related to home and belonging among fellow queer migrant artists in Finland. The participating artists were selected through an open call posted by Boitcova in March 2025, with selection criteria emphasizing the specific focus of the project (exclusively for queer migrant artists) as well as the artistic merit of the applicants. The outcome of the workshop series was the creation of five individual, site-specific, performance-based works presented on Suomenlinna Island in and around HIAP Gallery in June 2025. Each piece responded not only to the physical and symbolic context of the island but also acted as a form of cultural translation, transforming personal and collective experiences of displacement, identity, and belonging into performative language. The second outcome was participation in a group exhibition at the same gallery titled Unfolding Island Ecologies, which featured video documentation from the creative processes behind each artist’s work. This exposition presents materials created and collected during the workshops leading up to creation of the performances. It documents the ongoing effort to develop a performative language capable of expressing queer migrant narratives centered around the concept of home. It attempts to capture dramaturgical methodologies-in-progress and the process of translation of personal artistic practices into shared experiences. The exposition is structured into five sections: brainstorming exercises, workshop designs, artistic tasks, writing prompts, and reflective texts. Each section was designed to highlight different methodological aspects of the process and to offer multiple perspectives on this exploration.

Texts: Vera

WORKSHOP 1

13/04/2025, Theatre Academy, Helsinki

Prep: materials for the day (laptop, markers, paper), room arrangements (chairs, pillows, etc), snacks - 30 min

Took a bit longer than was planned, but preparation time and transition time are necessary

1.Intros (pronouns, mediums, little bios) + Explanations of documentation methods we will use, practicalities, and plan for the day - 20 min

All clear

2. Preliminary discussions about concepts, individual practices, and initial ideas for work in June - 40 min

Concept questions (with stickers - write as many concepts as you want and put on the floor in the right section):

- what does home mean to you (home)?

- what is queer (queer)?

- what is home (queer home)?

- what stories have you been told that no longer serve you (not working concepts and ideas - what is NOT home)?

- what would be some rituals associated with home (home rituals)?

- how do you feel about belonging? where do you belong (belonging)?

*For documentation - audio record + take notes on each question in a word file + take photos of stickers + collect stickers

Questions were shorter, just categories: HOME, NOT HOME, RITUALS, QUEER, BELONGING. Some interesting concepts emerged. During discussion I was taking notes, but the file with them is lost – so the exercise can only be traced through photos of post-its and the list of terms that emerged.

Individual practices:

- what is present in your practice? what ideas do you focus on and why?

- is home present in your practice?

- why are you interested in this topic artistically?

- do you already have ideas, requirements, or any concept you would like to work on in this space?

To save time, we only discussed interest in the topic of home and any preliminary ideas. Notes were taken, but, unfortunately, they were in the same lost file. Leik and Vera didn’t have preliminary ideas, George wanted to work with rituals and possibly rocks, niko with the idea of the island, and Gaby wanted to possibly try something performative which is not their typical medium.

3. Small tasks - 1h

a) A moment you realized you were home

Write for 10 min without thinking in any format of writing, can be from inside or outside perspective, can be 1 word, whatever written form seems fit. Share for 10 min.

All clear.

b) Sensory maps

Choose one sense and create a sensory map (drawing, writing, or collage) that illustrates these associations 10-15 min, exchange maps, interpret to the group what kind of thing you see here

*For documentation - drawing and writing on paper + taking photos + collecting paper

Senses that were used are primarily smell and sound + niko chose sight. Photos of maps are available.

*break 1h*

4. TASK 1 - 1h

An object from home, and an object to make home

Make a presentation about these two objects in any form you like, but it should centre on them. Method we are exploring is storytelling through objects, and whether objects help us or obstruct our freedoms

Try to incorporate 3 perspectives: factual (research some info about the actual object), personal (how it relates to you and your experience and story), relational (what is the object's relation to this space and this day). Document your process in any form - writing, photos, video

5. Presentation + Reflections and documentation on Task 1 - 1.30h

*For documentation - video recording of presentation, reflections on the task and the whole day in the log 30 min (individually), and discussion 30 min - take notes

6. Close-up circle and what's next 10 min

Workshops tooks place in April and May 2025. They were held on Sundays (some on Suomenlinna island, some at the Theatre Academy Helsinki), and each of them lasted 5-7 hours. There were 4 workshops in total, however, there are only 3 detailed plans since the last workshop was dedicated to organisational questions and independent work on performances.

WORKSHOP 2

27/04/2025, Theatre Academy, Helsinki

Prep: sticky notes and markers for queer house exercise, laptop for writing and uploading, phone for photos and videos, clothing and accessories (robe, sleeping mask, slippers, towel) + sensory object (snacks for taste, handcream for smell) + bring more props for personas for others.

1. Plan of the day + Warm up exercise - 'Queer Home' 20 min + 10 reflection/discussion (write notes during discussion + take photos of space)

If we built a queer house, what rooms would it need? What would never be allowed inside? What should definitely be there? What objects, in what places, why? First we take notes or draw things, discuss them. Then place somewhere in space together - document with photos + write a description of all concepts that came up

Post-discussion was about utopias and promised lands, and huge mansions where everyone has space and lives and peace. Vera thought of communal aspect of such a space, and basically it allowing to be a community.

Went 25 min overtime. Documented with photos of notes and writing key concepts.

2. Task 2: Homing rituals - 50 min preparation + 20 min sharing and discussion + 10 min reflection (write reflections about the task in the log)

Create a persona at home. Who is this persona? Where is their home? What is the essence of this 'being at home' and how is it different from 'out of home'? Create a transformation. TWO personas - in and out of home. And the ritual of transformation from one into the other. What changes when one being become the other? How does this change happen? Why?

*For documentation - write descriptions of both personas and/or make sketches of them and/or photograph them in different ways that express who they are - document 2 entities in juxtaposition (e.g. make lists of opposite qualities for them).

Documentation collected. Discussed different approaches to the task, mostly starting with visuals and colours. Mediums for presentations were photos, videos, and a bit of text, but mainly photos and videos.

*break 45 min*

3. Writing task - 15-20 min writing + 10 min sharing (documentation - write notes during sharing)

Place that held you, place that changed you, place that lost you.

Discussed journeys, connection between places and people, and how they may substitute each other.

4. Task 3: Sense of home – 50 min preparation + 20 min sharing and discussion + 10 min reflection (write reflections about the task in the log)

Create a ritual of home. Share a sense with the others. You can combine it with the persona at home that you created earlier.

Work with the sense of an object - how can you translate this sense to the audience? What is the ritual accompanying sharing this sense? Elevate sharing with the ritual.

*For documentation - videos of rituals, through key-word map of how this sense transformed into the ritual - logical chain

Due to running out of time, had to make it shorter – only 30 min.

5. Final reflection and discussion (10 min - write key words from the whole day) + next time plan.

WORKSHOP PLANS WITH POST-COMMENTARY

WORKSHOP 3

04/05/2025, Suomenlinna island

Prep: orhanizational questions, objects for personal work

1. Gallery tour and org questions - 1h

Everyone was super organized, we started on time, and went away ahead of what I planned. We were also able to visit the gallery, and check the installation spots.

2. Prep task: Exploring belonging – 1h preparations + 45 min sharing

Explore the island and find 2 places (it might be the same one for you, or it might be more than 2) – the one that feels most like home, and the one that speaks to you artistically. Take photos. Mark those places on the map. *Make notes of what belongs to this place that feel most like home to you.

Discuss places and share photos, what interested you about them? How are they artistically relevant?

The time limit helped with space limits as well. I think it was useful to only work with part of an island instead of a whole. Everyone took photos around the main island landscape features: coastline, rock formations, caves, etc.

*break - 30min*

3. Task 4: Absence

In any place you chose, find/notice absence of something. What is absent there for you? Who is absent? How can you make it known, make the absence visible? Why is it not there? What does not belong? Make absence visible/known and document absence.

*For documentation - record in photos and videos (individually) + record explanations

4. Task 5: Presence

In any place you chose, mark your presence with an object you brought or in any other way. Make it a ritual – a ritual of leaving your mark somewhere, ‘I WAS HERE’ ritual, I belonged to this place once and it belonged to me. Share your ritual, or share your mark.

*For documentation - record in photos and videos (individually) + record of explanation

1h for both tasks + 45 min going around and sharing

Due to the lack of time we combined tasks 4 and 5 into one task on presence/absence where everyone worked in their places of choice. Then we went on a tour to each place, where everyone explained there process in some way.

5. Reflections of each task, reflections of the day in the Diary - 30 min, discussion 10 min

6. Organizational: to-do before next time + plans + further questions – 1 hour

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