From May 2025 to July 2026, Chisenhale Dance Space (CDS) will run Scratch Renaissance, a bold programme responding directly to the urgent need for artists to test ideas, take risks and share works-in-progress in a supportive, accessible and low-cost way.
Recognising the obstacles independent artists experience when trying to find the resources to experiment, discover and play, CDS—in collaboration with its 230-strong artist community—created Scratch Renaissance as a year-long catalyst for creative risk and renewal.
Each month, one of the programme’s six partners will present and curate a distinct scratch night to provide much-needed space and opportunity for discovery, imbuing scratch culture with the fuel it needs to prevent it from becoming a thing of the past.
Emergency Chorus is the first Scratch Renaissance partner. Comprised of artists Ben Kulvichit and Clara Potter-Sweet, Emergency Chorus makes work that straddles contemporary theatre, live art, dance and social practice.
Emergency Chorus will be presenting Past Works Recycling Plant on 30th May, a night for artists to revisit, remix and reimagine past works. We caught up with Emergency Chorus to find out more about their artistic practice, their night Past Works Recycling Plant and the wider importance of scratch culture. Watch the interview below!
What kind of change do you hope the Scratch Renaissance will bring to the performance sector?
We hope it encourages people — artists who perform at the nights, audiences who come to see them, anyone — to start their own things. We began hosting ‘Past Works Recycling Plant’ in a moment of limbo, fatigue, rejections, project standstill. Almost three years on, it’s become such a joyful way for us to continue our practice, connect with others, and champion the kind of experimental work we love. So here’s hoping for a true Scratch Renaissance. Seek out unusual spaces. Find your kind of weirdos. Build up an underground scene that crosses over into music spaces, visual art spaces, cinemas. Create something sustainable, artist-led, less reliant on gatekeeping and funding to survive.
What do you think makes a great scratch night experience for both artists and audiences?
They’re best when they’re relaxed. None of the faff of a big show. For the artists: as little admin to do as possible, a host who is chill and attentive, a chance to hang out with the other artists, a nice buzzy vibe, an audience who know what to expect and how the artist wants them to watch the work (is it very early or more developed material? are they meant to offer feedback?), a free drink or two. For the audience: a mix of work (different approaches, styles, moods), a host who is chill and attentive, work that’s interesting (forget about ‘good’), a nice buzzy vibe, feeling like they can and want to hang out afterwards and chat to the artists.
Past Works Recycling Plant takes place on Friday 30 May 7pm at Chisenhale Dance Space. Get your tickets here.