ISKRA (NO) 2024-2025
ISKRA production is a theater company based in Tromsø, Northern Norway, officially established in 2024 by two exile artists Prokhor Gusev and Gulnara Iskakova. Artists of ISKRA production are trying to make their theater in new circumstances, in a new cultural field, in a new country, trying to create a space for dialogue to explore identities, roots and a new way of making theater when the world is on fire. ISKRA Production often collaborates with freelance artists to present diverse perspectives. For the “Moving Identities” project, they are partnering with Sámi-Norwegian composer Gøril Nilsen on “I Am a Witness of Your Existence,” which examines the identity of witnesses as a social and cultural phenomenon.
Parcitipating artists
Prokhor Gusev (NO)
Prokhor Gusev is an exile theatre and sound artist who utilizes the new-processual method of Boris Yukhananov and the “impulse” method of Tamara Dascinskaya, which incorporates P.M. Ershov’s practices, yoga, and meditation. His work delves into themes of theatre as a spiritual practice, equality, and challenging societal stereotypes, often with a political lens. Prokhor Gusev creates a wide range of artistic projects as a director, producer and actor, including documentary works, immersive installations, and puppet and shadow theatre. Together with Gulnara Iskakova he founded ISKRA production – theater company that is working with different types of performing arts.
Gulnara Iskakova (NO)
Gulnara Iskakova is a theatre director, actress, and pedagogue working with the new-processual method. After the war, she relocated to Tromsø, Norway. Together with Prokhor Gusev, she founded ISKRA production, a theatre company that explores various forms of performing arts. Her recent works in Norway include the performances “Grandma’s Recipes” and “Koridor. Nytt Liv,” as well as the interactive-documentary installation “Come Out from the Wardrobe.” Central to her work is the importance of the process, whether in directing, acting, or teaching.
Gøril Nilsen (NO)
Gøril Nilsen is a Sámi/Norwegian composer, musician and music producer working across the industry of music and art, writing music for artists, dance performances, audiovisual art and theatre. Gøril recently composed music for one of the biggest events by European Capital of Culture that took place at midsummer in Bodø 2024. Gøril has toured and released music with the band I SEE RIVERS for 10 years. The band played sold out European tours with artists such as Cosmo Sheldrake and Newton Faulkner, and played venues such as Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Albert Hall Manchester as well as industry festivals such as SXSW, Great Escape and Eurosonic. Their latest single release was A-listed on BBC radio as well as performed live on Sunday Brunch, the most watched day time TV program in the UK.
Taken residency at
Davvi – Centre for Performing Arts
Davvi – Centre for Performing Arts is a hub and a gathering point in Northern Norway for the professional independent Performing Arts community. The organization is a laboratory for new ideas, artistic research, and an open space where different cultures are cared for. We challenge hegemonic thinking and support cross-sectorial artistic working and thinking. We are staff of 11 curios people, we are placed in Hammerfest, Tromsø and Bodø and we are a space that offers residency, laboratories and producer services.
Nau Ivanow
Nau Ivanow is a space of welcome, accompaniment, research and innovation; a haven where companies will find the warmth needed to work unhurriedly and in good conditions. Residencies are the main focus of what we do. Our aim is to provide decent working conditions, always accompanying the artists and providing them with the resources they need. Nau Ivanow’s projects are underpinned by three major working axes: creation, accompaniment and work with the territory. And all of them with one common denominator: internationalization, which permeates each and every one of our projects.
Kunstplaats Vonk
Kunstplaats Vonk is a studio and residency space for visual and performance arts in Hasselt and Genk, Belgium. At their 3 buildings they support artists with artistic feedback, an international network, presentation opportunities, studio-space and a financial contribution (for the residencies).
Who is ISKRA production?
Prokhor: ISKRA Production is a theater company based in Tromsø, Northern Norway, founded in 2024 by exiled artists Prokhor Gusev and Gulnara Iskakova. In navigating new circumstances, a different cultural landscape, and a new country, we as ISKRA Production seek to create a space for dialogue where identities, roots, and innovative approaches to theater can be explored amidst a world that is on fire. We believe in diversity and collaboration to stay more connected and aware of what is going on in the world and in the art so we collaborate a lot with freelance artists to bring diverse perspectives to our works. And for the project “I am a witness of your existence” that we have chosen to work on “Moving Identities” we are collaborating with Sami-Norwegian composer and musician Gøril Nilssen.
Photo credit: Marthe Nyvoll
What is your aim with Moving Identities?
Prokhor: Our goal is to explore the concept of witnessing and its significance in today’s world, where we have access to vast amounts of information and can be virtually connected to events unfolding on the other side of the planet. What does it mean to be a witness in this hyper-connected era?
Gulnara: We are believing in the theater as a space for experiments, dialogue and spiritual practice (the last means for us careful and painstaking work that is created due to questions that are addressed to us as theater artists in a person who is both a creator and an artistic tool). Therefore we are trying to create complex and inclusive theater where could be a place for anyone for exploring and art sharing. Theater is a zone of experiments, questions and answers so we are aiming via our art works introduce the theater to as many people as possible, to include them in this in a way “spiritual practices” as it was in ancient times when theater was more social and ritual.
Gøril: My aim is to explore music and art through new perspectives. I hope to engage with diverse perspectives from fellow artists across Europe, hoping for dialogs and exercises that challenges and enriches our understanding of music and art. I am of course hoping we will create something performative together as well, something that can tour in a sustainable way.
Photo credit: Marthe Nyvoll
Which method(s) will you use to achieve this aim?
Gulnara: We are in the early stages of exploring this topic and have conducted research to gain a deeper understanding from philosophical, psychological, and other perspectives. Currently, we are gathering information by interviewing people, investigating different forms of witnessing, and exploring how to experience and share these encounters. As we work toward creating a participatory experience, we are experimenting with tools from inclusive theater, the Theater of Citizens, and integrating psychological training and questionnaires into our process.
Gøril: As the project is about witnessing, I am interested in how we witness sound. I think we can explore the witnessing of sound through different angels; e.g. vibrational experiments, observing patterns formed by sound when water or sand responds to sound vibrations. Visiting sound installations or through visualizations of soundwaves or spectograms. Most of all I think sound influences our perception, so this can be explored by incorporating sound with other senses and then take away all sound to provide an understanding of how we are influenced by sound. I am also interested in witnessing and observing a phenomenon, nature or an object to turn the rhythms and movements into a partiture.
Photo credit: Marthe Nyvoll
How does your current project relate to your previous/other works? Is it similar or different?
Prokhor: At ISKRA production, we work on various types of projects, and “I’m a Witness of Your Existence” is one of them, where we are just beginning the exploration process. At this stage, we do not have a predefined text or play. Instead, we are focusing on discovering and developing the project organically, allowing the process itself to guide us as we explore the concept of witnessing and human connection.
Gøril: I have worked across the industry of art, music and theatre on different projects in the past such as installations, dance performances and immersive theatre. When I was composing for the European Capital of Culture I was making music to a 15 meter high tower that was being raised by thousands of people pulling a rope. At the end of the show the tower was set on fire and collapsed. I had to think about how the music would grow with what we were observing, not knowing how fast the tower would grow or how fast it would collaps, so I actually think this can relate to “I am a witness of your experience” where we will play with witnessing and sound.
Photo credit: Jamie Michael Bivard
What are you most excited about in this programme ahead of you?
Gøril: I am mostly excited about having time to be in the process of making something. Very often, we have a time limit to our work because it needs to be ready for a performance. This project gives us time to actually be in the process. Having time to be in the process of making art is essential for creativity and self-expression, I think it encourages innovation, freedom and growth as an artist. In this project we have time to trust the process, allowing ourselves to explore and experiment without the pressure of immediate perfection. Of course the opportunity to collaborate and meet with artists from different backgrounds and disciplines is also great. I was invited in to this project a little later on in the process, and I think the theme ISKRA-productions have chosen, I Am a Witness of Your Existence, is very interesting and fascinating. So, I look forward to keep sharing ideas, experimenting with forms of expression, and creating work that reflects our collective experiences and narratives.
Gulnara: Working in a different spaces and contexts. Not only different countries but venues, people. For our project is crucial to have different context, it would give us more information, more insights. We hope that it would help us to witness a different existence and let people witness ours.
Photo credit: Jamie Michael Bivard
