Metis

Metis is a choreographic and sound action. The project explores themes related to gender geography, a field of study that questions, among other things, how the bodies of women and non-binary people live and relate to urban space.

The Méthis (μέτις), in ancient Greek literally "counsel, cunning," is a strategy of relating to other people. It consists of "putting oneself in the shoes of the other" by adopting, for a moment, the worldview of others in order to imagine "what she sees that escapes me." The process of composing the performance relates to the urban area of Scalo-Malvasia, in the city of Bologna (Italy), gathering testimonies from women and non-binary people who inhabit or cross this part of the city. These encounters generate and fuel questions that nourish the sensitivity, imagination, and urgency that move this performance. "Questions from women," quoting the scholar and researcher Leslie Kern, arise from needs and desires, pieces that create new frameworks, geometries, and visions to inhabit the city we would like.

The Metis Method 

The Metis Method is a choreographic, sonic, and documentary project that explores gender geography by collecting and mapping the experiences of women and non-binary people in urban and rural spaces across Romania, the Netherlands, and Italy. These testimonies become a vital part of the performance’s soundscape and narrative.

The project promotes collaboration among non-institutional, women-led organizations to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse performing arts landscape. Key values include inclusion, cultural diversity, and raising awareness on gender issues within each local context.

Audience participation is central: through workshops designed as sharing circles, the public is invited to reflect on their perception of public space and engage with perspectives outside dominant norms. The collected testimonies are transformed into a soundscape that activates the performers' bodies, imagining alternative ways of inhabiting space.

The Metis Method is led by Micce APS (Italy), in partnership with Artipic Association (Romania), Cultureel Centrum Moira (Netherlands), Gynestra (Italy), and Associazione Culturale Fedora (Italy). The project is supported by Perform Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.