Domestic


New work, live from home.

Updated 24 Jan 2022

2020/21’s series of Domestic “at homes” were an informal online platform for artists to beta test new work, live from their homes… What could you make when your kitchen table, bathroom, or garden tent was the stage — and your camera was the audience?

We’re still interested in what artists want to say right now, in 2022 — our rolling open call for proposals seeks short (max 10 mins) live art and/or contemporary performance works that can be presented online, within an artist’s available resources.

Although we sense that artist’s appetite for showing their work online from home is waning, please feel free to suggest something as we’ll put together our sixth online event when we’ve got the right content.


July 2020’s pilot event featured 6 invited artists (watch livestream archive); August featured 7 works selected from our open call (livestream); October featured 8 works (livestream); January 2021 featured 7 works (livestream); and March’s event featured 5 works — all hosted by Peader Kirk.

Alongside live works, artists propose pre-recorded pieces that don’t fit this format — so in December 2020 we introduced Domesticated, a new home for video performance, whose first guests were Beth Clayton, Freddie Watkins, Heather Bandenburg, Kellie Colbert & Deborah Newton, Mahboobeh Rajabi, Nicholas Tee, Oliver Ford, Sandra Bouguerch.

Domestic 2020/21 series presented by Word of Warning + produced by hÅb.
Domesticated produced by hÅb; website development + illustration by Ghost and John.
Enquiries: domestic@habmcr.org | DomesticMcr.org | #DomesticMcr | domesticatedonline.org | #Domesticated


Domestic origins…

In 2013/15/17 we presented Domestic works in tower blocks in transition — little did we know then, that in 2020 our homes would become our only stages and only auditoria…

November 2013 saw a series of intimate interactions, homely conversations + domestic dramas played out in a block of flats, still inhabited but in the midst of major refurbishment — Domestic hosted 7 pieces over 10 days by artists including Alex Bradley, Fergus J Evans, Greg Wohead, Jo Bannon, Leentje Van de Cruys + the vacuum cleaner… Work ranged from an immersive environment in a garage to a solo naked shower piece + a woman’s story of domestic despair atop a ¼ton of potatoes… See the image gallery.

In September 2015, Domestic II was unleashed on a new block of flats, this time uninhabited, but definitely mid-refurbishment — Matthias Court (M3 6JD) was a space in transition — using only the top (15th) + ground floors over 3 nights + a day to show 17 pieces by artists including Afreena Islam, Catherine Hoffman, Cheryl Martin, Leo Burtin, Louise Wallwein, Michael Pinchbeck + Ria Hartley… See a rapid overview on vimeo + the image gallery.

In November 2017, Rent Party: Domestic Edition popped up next door in Salford’s Adelphi Court during its refurb… Part show, part party, Darren Pritchard Dance’s joyously defiant stand against growing up poor is a 21st century, austerity Britain, black, gay, immersive musical — for those just about managing. See the image gallery. Thanks to our generous audiences we donated £574.65 & four crates of food to Salford Foodbank.