kalik | interdisciplinary arts organization

A WORLD OF Q

(film series, in production)

a soft sci-fi collaborative film-making quest

WORLD OF Q is a multi-phased collaborative filmmaking initiative featuring films and media art that all revolve around the central storyworld, with each film exploring a different dimension of the storyworld. We have devised a collaborative filmmaking process where all participants involved in the project build/bend the rules of the storyworld, where actors shape their characters, where cast and crew are agents in the process guiding its direction, and where all the folks involved in the project are of the communities represented in the films.

DEAR ARMEN

Presented across Canada, USA, and Armenia (2013-current)

Dear Armen centers the struggles & successes of queer, trans* and gender nonconforming Armenians; exploring the intersections of identity, history, and cultural memory. By remembering Armen Ohanian, an enigmatic Armenian performer & survivor of the 20th century anti-Armenian pogroms, we bring to the fore an avant-garde Armenian figure who is too little discussed or remembered, and highlight the parallels that exist between her story and contemporary experiences. In so doing, this work hopes to break through memoricide, ensuring more of our cultural memories are passed down and used to help heal the intergenerational trauma left by genocide & displacement.

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THEATRICAL INCARNATION

(in production, on tour, currently booking)

Dear Armen follows the story of a genderqueer writer and student, Garo, as they study the life and work of Armen Ohanian. As Garo grapples with the discrepancies between Ohanian’s biography and memoirs, they are forced to confront memories from the past, unraveling experiences around gender, sexuality, ethnicity, family, and the role of the artist.

An interactive-theatre experience featuring a blend of monologue, traditional Armenian dance, erotic performance and live music, Dear Armen weaves together the voices and struggles of three generations of women and gender nonconforming Armenians.

tour dates

IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION

(produced, currently booking)

A site-specific performance installation created and presented at the Abrahamian Art Centre in Armenia in 2015. Building on the stage production of Dear Armen, we developed an interdisciplinary storyworld that is witnessed and documented by audience/participant; and where they can interact with its characters, textures, and multi-stranded narrative.

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THE ZINE
(self-published, available for purchase)
While on tour with the theatrical incarnation of Dear Armen, we invite local performers, writers, activists, poets, etc. to participate during the show by presenting a piece inspired by the themes of the play.

THE WORKSHOP
(on tour, currently booking)

Join us for an interdisciplinary arts workshop where we will imagine into the past, integrate our experiences in the present, and vision into the future.

more workshops

SHORT FILM & VIDEO INSTALLATION

Reeling Chicago LGBTQ & International Film Festival Official Selection (Sept. 2016)

SETTING BONES

Winner of the 2017 Vancouver Fringe New Play Prize

A performance work exploring diasporan home & identity in the face of maternal & cultural loss.

When their mother and grandmother suddenly die, three estranged siblings are forced to come together and pack up their childhood home. As the siblings sort through the artifacts of their family’s herstories, they are forced to confront the legacies of displacement, cultural erasure, and fragmentation that have haunted them for generations. In turn, they must rediscover one another and their desires for belonging, understanding and love.

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CONTACT

contactkalik (at) gmail (dot) com