Help Bring TRACES to Life: A Unique Immersive Experience

HELLO!

Here at WaxFactory, we're thrilled to embark on the final stretch of the ambitious journey of bringing our production of TRACES (after Sophie Calle) to life. We have already received a substantial amount of funding (over 80% of our overall budget!) through various sources, including grants, donations, ticket sales and in-kind support. We were recently in the running to receive a significant arts grant for this project but ultimately it didn’t come through. With only a month ahead of us before our World Premiere through the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, we need the support of our communities in closing our budget gap and making this ambitious project a reality!

photo: Maria Baranova

WHAT IS TRACES (after Sophie Calle)?

Spy thriller meets participatory performance art in TRACES – an immersive, site-specific work. Co-created by Brooklyn-based theater artist Ivan Talijancic and Minnesota-based playwright Rachel Jendrzejewski, TRACES unfolds in real time across downtown Minneapolis. This roving performance is based on the opus of French conceptual artist Sophie Calle and follows a fictional character through a series of public locations. In intimate, one-on-one encounters, lone audience members trace her journey, documenting their experiences via audio, photo, and video—ultimately leading to a reflection on the nature of mortality and human connection. No two performances are alike – we create a bespoke experiential journey for one audience member at a time, each becoming a protagonist in the piece.

In addition to the live performances, the project will also include a video installation in the atrium at the University of Minnesota's Regis Center for Art. This installation is free and open to the public for the duration of the performance run and will feature surveillance-style footage from select live performances. Furthermore, a website will host an accumulating archive of audience documentation, which will be made public after the performance run, providing another accessible way for folks anywhere in the world to engage with the project.

photo: Pascal Perich

HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT?

This unique experience costs upwards of $170,000 to develop and produce, and we've never been closer to closing our budget gap! We only need $15,000 more to fully realize our vision. After THREE YEARS in the making, across Italy, New York, and Minnesota, our momentous world premiere is finally within reach. We've come this far, but now we need one last push of support from our (many!) communities to help us reach the finish line.

Please consider donating to our GoFundMe campaign - every little bit helps us pay the incredible team of artists and staff making this project a reality. It truly takes a village to pull this off - an ENORMOUS village of talented folks and resources, to create this incredibly intimate experience for one single person at a time. It might sound impractical, but there's something beautiful about you and all the other kind strangers on GoFundMe giving so generously to create this magical moment for someone you've never met! That's why we built this project around Calle's work, which often explores connection, longing, distance, and interactions between strangers.

And if donating money isn't possible for you right now, that's okay! There are other ways to help such as spreading the word about our campaign! Share it on social media, tell your friends and family, post about it in online communities you're a part of, and share it with your local experimental art enthusiast! ;) Let's make this campaign go viral! Every repost, share, like, and mention helps us reach more people and get closer to our goal. Together, our village can make this happen!

Also, if you're inspired by our work and would like to contribute in other ways, we welcome in-kind donations.

We're currently seeking the following:

If you have other ideas for offering support or are interested in any of the in-kind donations listed above, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd love to discuss how your contribution can help bring TRACES to life.

WaxFactory is an IRS 501-c-3 nonprofit organization in the United States, so all donations are tax deductible!!!

photo: Maria Baranova

HOW WILL WE USE THE FUNDS?

As mentioned earlier, a significant portion of our funds will be allocated to compensating the extraordinary team behind this project. To provide a clearer understanding, here's a simplified breakdown of our budget:

DONOR REWARDS!

For gifts at ANY level:

For gifts $250+:

For gifts $1000+:

THE CREATORS

WaxFactory (producing company) is a NYC-based independent, nonprofit hybrid performance group dedicated to exploring a multiplicity of theatrical visions. Since its formation in 1998, WaxFactory has been one of the most internationally active multidisciplinary groups to emerge from the New York downtown scene, creating new performance, installation, film and video works featuring a highly innovative blend of physical performance, audio-visual, architectural and fashion design, and an integrated use of new media and technology.

photo: Maria Baranova

Ivan Talijančić (TRACES co-creator/director) is a time-based artist working at the intersection of performance, installation/visual art, moving image and new media. His work has been presented internationally at many venues and festivals including at ICA (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Lincoln Center (New York), Zurcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland,) Festival Internacional de Teatro (Caracas, Venezuela) and many others. He is artistic co-director of WaxFactory (NYC) and Programme Director for the MA/MFA Collaborative Theatre Making & MFA International Theatre programs at Rose Bruford College (London, UK).

photo: matt regan

Rachel Jendrzejewski (TRACES co-creator/writer) is an experimental playwright who works across the U.S. and internationally, frequently collaborating with choreographers, visual artists, musicians, and ensembles to explore wide-ranging performative vocabularies. Her projects have been presented by the Walker Art Center, Red Eye Theater, Hair+Nails, The Theatre at the Ace Hotel, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, and MASS MoCA, with support from the Playwrights’ Center, NEA, and Foundation. for Contemporary Arts, among others. Rachel is co-Artistic Director of Red Eye (Minneapolis); MFA Playwriting, Brown University.

THE TEAM

Abbee Warmboe

Amanda Boekelheide

A.P. Looze

Chelsie Newhard

Daniel Grove

Dan Dukich

Dolo McComb

Emma Busch

Erika Latta

Filsan Said

Gavin Popken

Gethsemane Herron

Halie Bahr

Ivan Talijancic

Jake Buroker

Jared Ziegler

Jay Eisenberg

Jeffrey Wells

Kathleen Willard

Katie Burgess

Lisa Channer

Madeleine Rowe

Mads Granlund

Marcela Michelle

matt regan

Michael Jancik-Kitowski

Micheal Torsch

MK Toumanen

Morgan Chang

Rachel Jendrzejewski

Sabrín Diehl

Sharon Picasso

Stevie Lindsey

Zola Dee

Also, big thanks to the funders, donors, in-kind supporters, and partners who have made this work possible to date, including the Walker Art Center, Playwrights' Center, National Endowment for the Arts, Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation, University of Minnesota, Hewing Hotel, Hennepin County Libraries, Hotel Emery, Ergo Floral, Alliance Française MSP, Brooklyn Arts Council, City Artists Corps, RESTART NY, Network of Ensemble Theatres, Emily Harvey Foundation, Universita’ Ca’ Foscari, Carnegie Mellon University Frank-Ratchye Further Fund, BEAM Brooklyn, Jon Neustadter, Elisabeth Johnson Holod, Lewis Baskerville, Kimerly Miller, several generous anonymous supporters, and scores of brave audience beta testers!

...thank you for reading our appeal all the way to the end.

In appreciation of your attention, we'd like to share a small gift.

To see how it all started, we are delighted to share the TRACES pilot video, created by Ivan Talijancic during his 2021 residency at the Emily Harvey Foundation in Venice, Italy...which has never been released publicly.

Enjoy !