On the evening before the start of The Smoke 2017, we arranged a special extra event, together with and hosted by our friends at the Res. gallery.

In Conversation: A Dialogue Between Art and Larp
Thursday 5th January, 2017 6.30-10pm

In response to an increasing interest from creative practitioners in the traditions and medium of live action role-play (larp), and a new tendency for larp practitioners to describe their work as a form of art, this event opens the floor to discuss the effects and potential of what is emerging. During this session, creatives from all disciplines, larpers and anyone with a curiosity about the overlap between art and larp were invited to raise questions concerning the aesthetics, ethics, economies and politics of live action role-play in conjunction with art. In addition to verbal contributions there was the opportunity for participants to bring short (10 mins max) role-plays as provocations, or web-based audio visual media, in an attempt to discover something new by talking, dreaming and playing.

As a precursor to The Smoke, London’s new international festival of larp, In Conversation was intended to promote connections between people from a range of creative backgrounds who share an interest in play, in the hope that these connections may flourish during the festival and beyond. The event was hosted by Sarah Jury, writer and curator from Res., and Jamie Harper, theatre director and an organiser of The Smoke.

Attendance was free but an optional donation of £3 was requested to help meet the costs of running the event. We encouraged participants to bring an item of food that can be shared, and Res. ran a bar. Res is a fully accessible venue.