Colin Self (US)
Residency period: September-November 2024
During my time at La Becque I created videos, ceramics, and a performance relating to my forthcoming record, respite ∞ levity for the nameless ghost in crisis, which comes out on February 21, 2025. I shot two music videos and edited three to the point of completion, and in the process, I developed visuals to be used in the live performance of Gasp!, the live show relating to the album which will tour internationally in 2025 and 2026, and in doing so also created all digital assets for the album release.
I also developed and performed Voice for a Shadow, a corresponding liturgical lecture to the album, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and again at La Becque for their Open Studios.
Something unexpected that also happened during my time at La Becque was my first experience of making and glazing ceramics, which resulted in me making ceramic material to use for future videos and performances, including two new puppets that will travel with me on tour to be used for live puppeteering on video in the show.
Last but not least, I created 60 watercolor paintings which will come out with the limited artist edition of my LP in 2025, and created a raffle fundraiser for a friend in Palestine trying to get safely out of Gaza.
While this may be an immaterial achievement, the biggest takeaway was actually the relationships formed during my time at La Becque, and the overwhelmingly positive experience of feeling like the next years of my life will be radically changed by these connections made. — Colin Self
Born in Portland in 1987 and now based in Berlin, Colin Self is a composer, artist, choreographer, and director who creates environments that transcend consciousness and gender, while calling for dialogue and for closer ties between communities. At the crossroads of performances and futuristic operas, Self’s work also questions the relationship between humans and their technologies and imagines new queer futures.
Colin Self, La Becque, 2024, photo Matthieu Croizier