Performance Monthly Meets exist as a free open performance space for unconventional dialog through action. They are a living concept of encounter which exists through practice and belongs not only to those who join in but also to those who witness same. Performance Monthly Meets have become the spirit of Bbeyond contributing to the development of praxis and idea/s through actualities, resulting in growth at both the individual and collective level.

 Inspired by Alastair MacLennan, Boris Nieslony, and Black Market International, performance monthly encounters have taken place since 21st June 2008. Boris Nieslony’s workshop in 2007, had a tremendous impact on the artists in Belfast, his dedication, passion and discipline to this living art process presented a conscious experiential awareness of the impact that artists could have when they worked simultaneously. This workshop experience, furthered by some discussion between Alastair MacLennan and Boris Nieslony, resulted in the idea of creating simultaneous performances, allowing more scope and room for development for both the individual and the group, as a whole and as a collective.

 Prior to this paradigm shift Sinéad O’Donnell had organised Excite, a series of nine performance meetings where artists presented solo work in various locations around Belfast. However as a consequence of Boris Nieslony’s workshop, a lot of the participating artists during the next Excite meeting chose to work simultaneously rather than presenting solo work. Later, these performance meetings evolved into Performance Monthly Meets, which began on the 21st June 2008 and have continued to date.

 During the period of Lockdown restrictions these Performance Monthly Meets continued remotely online via Zoom, edits of these Remote meets can be found on our Vimeo Channel | Bbeyond (vimeo.com)