WhatIIIF? - the International Interdisciplinary Improvisation Festival

An international, yearly, nomadic festival that attempts to answer the absurd question: Can improvisation be documented?

IIIF stands for International Interdisciplinary Improvisation Festival and the WhatIIIF? gatherings/meetings/festivals are dedicated to the attempt to answer the absurd question:

Can improvisation be documented (and how should that be done)?

After the 2017 founding edition in Amsterdam, there were already two more gatherings in London (UK, 2018) and in Gothenborg (SE, 2019), plus our pandemic inspired Nowhere&Everywhere festival 2020/2021.

The website improvisation.wiki is a constant working space and open library of improvisation aspects. It gets energized through the yearly meetings of WhatIIIF? and everyone is invited to contribute to it through these yearly gatherings, or at any other time, from their own improvisation practice and perspective. There is also this new initiative starting for an Expandable Networked Universe for the Art of Improvisation.

Due to the covid-19 situation in Europe right now, we decided to postpone the planned 2020 physical edition to 2021.

There was a 12h online duration improvisation performance on 15 May 2021 with WhatIIIFers from around the globe.

And to finally meet in real life again, we now invite all interested improvisers to join us from 16-19 September 2021 in Berlin to take this utopian idea of a shared language and a shared research for interdisciplinary improvisation practice further. Our host in 2021 will be the Exploratorium Berlin. You can join physically or via online means. Read the invitation letter here.

The event is free and open to any experienced improvisers. Tell us how you want to contribute with your practice and presence and we will link you with another participant so you can sharpen together the research focus with which you will join us.

We provide the space and context for the gathering. Travel and possible accomodation costs are for yourself, but we can help wth housing through our network and provide you with an official invitation letter if you have options to apply for individual travel funds.

If you want to join us in September 2021, read the invitation letter and send us an email, as described:

Invitation Open Call WhatIIIF? Berlin

WhatIIIF? original initiators and regular gardeners:
Benedikte Esperi, Catharine Cary, Thomas Johannsen

Additional WhatIIIF? founding members in Amsterdam 2017:
Andrea Hackl, Esmeralda Detmers, Jagna Anderson, Marianthi Michailidou, Shelley Owen

WhatIIIF? researchers and kindness givers of London 2018:
Independent Dance, Sue Davies, Anat Ben-David, Sally Dean, Jasper Llewellyn, Dick James Hall, Maggie Nicolson, Dam Van Huynh Company, Centre 151, Pietro Denaro, Marianthi Michailidou, Catharine Cary, Thomas Johannsen, Shelley Owen, Esmeralda Detmers, Benedikte Esperi, Jay Luxemburg, Rosalie Walhfrid, Kajoli Ilojak, Agata Kik, Rut Blees Luxemburg, Annette Giesriegl, Middlesex Filter Beds, Trip Dance and the Royal College of Art.

WhatIIIF? researchers and performers of Gothenborg 2019:
Tuva Hildebrand, Nathalie Fari, Marianthi Michailidou, Catharine Cary, Reinhard Gagel, Thomas Johannsen, Shelley Owen, Esmeralda Detmers, Benedikte Esperi, Alexandra Mahnke, Galleri 54, Tiny Festival Producers, Theater Trickster, Anders Göransson

WhatIIF? performers/researchers & mystery guests in the Nowhere and Everywhere festival:
(to date, it's ongoing since May 2020)
Thomas Johannsen, Shelly Owen, Esmeralda Detmers, Catharine Cary, Reinhard Gagel, Chris Parfitt, Clarice Rito Plotkowski, Denitsa Dikova, Susanne Martin, Emmanuelle Pépin, Anet van de Elzen, Maria Mavridou, Anke Ames, Angélique Wilke, Anat Ben David, Danielle Davidson, Heini Nukari, Henry McPherson, Soila Sariola, Maria Michaildou, Ulrike Brand, Maria Sappho and mystery guest Simon, Yuri Bongers, Tommaso Rolando, Loes Rietkerk, Anna Riesel, Kate Allen, Deszo Virag, Astro A, Beni Lerner, Miguel Lopes, Lisa Thomas, K Rolland, Frank Fiedler, Doris Kollman, 8 participants of SAALFREI through 3 computers arranged in their practice space belonging to Johannes Blattner, M. Gunkel, Selina Koch, Nicolas Allwright and Joëlle Valterio.

WhatIIIF? organising committee Berlin 2021:
Reinhard Gagel, Jagna Anderson (preparations 2020), Ulrike Brand (2021), Danielle Davidson, Thomas Johannsen, Catharine Cary, Esmeralda Detmers, Shelley Owen