Live art, Scotland and the curation of culture

Live art, Scotland and the curation of culture offers a critical history of live art in Scotland, examining how artists, curators and organisations have created and sustained contexts for interdisciplinary and experimental performance over the past thirty years. The study traces the evolution of live art across periods of cultural change, focusing on the infrastructures that enable creative risk, from pioneering seasons such as ‘New Work, No Definition’ to organisations including The Arches, Tramway, The Work Room and Deveron Projects. It explores how artistic innovation has intersected with curatorial and organisational practice, considering the roles of individual practitioners, collectives and festivals in shaping an ecology of support. Drawing on archival research and the work of prominent artists, the book reassesses Scotland’s significance within broader histories of live art, performance curation and experimental theatre.