Improvisation is shit

Improvisation is shit

"Improvisation is shit" is a performance workshop introducing role-play and improvisation techniques led by Melanie Bonajo at ECAL. During the workshop the students are challenged to negotiate again what it means to be human by way of our relationship to technology and systems of control. The onset of the digital era and the steady increase in globalised secular values has led to sexuality as a sphere of daily life being more visible and more available than ever. Nevertheless, it seems as though people are losing the ability to make meaningful connections even in physically intimate circumstances. What does it say about our society that many people would rather meet and then ghost a hook up rather than pay someone for a conscious orgasm? And what does it say if Capitalism is making money off of our loneliness and incapacities to source our own intimacy?

Workshop (2019)

"Improvisation is shit" is a performance workshop introducing role-play and improvisation techniques led by Melanie Bonajo at ECAL. During the workshop the students are challenged to negotiate again what it means to be human by way of our relationship to technology and systems of control.

The onset of the digital era and the steady increase in globalised secular values has led to sexuality as a sphere of daily life being more visible and more available than ever. Nevertheless, it seems as though people are losing the ability to make meaningful connections even in physically intimate circumstances.

What does it say about our society that many people would rather meet and then ghost a hook up rather than pay someone for a conscious orgasm? And what does it say if Capitalism is making money off of our loneliness and incapacities to source our own intimacy?

ECAL/Justine Willa, Alizée Quinche, Sofia Papaefthymiou, Caroline Perrenoud
ECAL/Justine Willa, Alizée Quinche, Sofia Papaefthymiou, Caroline Perrenoud

1/2

ECAL/Steven Rüthy, David Benito Py, Sarah Koeke, Ludivine Keller
ECAL/Steven Rüthy, David Benito Py, Sarah Koeke, Ludivine Keller

1/2

ECAL/Axel Bruniau, Emeline Courcier, Lara Ziörjen, Clara Roumégoux, Marie Noury
ECAL/Axel Bruniau, Emeline Courcier, Lara Ziörjen, Clara Roumégoux, Marie Noury

1/2

Projets similaires

Création photographique– 2026

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Création photographique– 2026

with Natacha Lesueur

Documentary, the power of make-believe Based on projects developed around a common theme, the students develop a personal, in-depth project around the theme of pretense. They build a project that plays with the limits of veracity in photography, using it as an artifice of deception. 

Création cinématographique– 2026

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Création cinématographique– 2026

with Natacha Lesueur

Off-camera By exploring what lies outside the frame, students develop a sensitive and reflective approach to audiovisual creation. Throughout the semester, students are encouraged to reflect on the political and formal issues surrounding the moving image, as well as the relationship between the visible and the invisible. 

Staged Photography – 2026

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Staged Photography – 2026

with Charlotte Krieger

Unseen This course introduces students to the creation of a seven-image series built around the theme Unseen. They will learn to combine set design, characters, and lighting to produce strong, coherent staged images. Through a practical and technical approach, the course develops their ability to conceive and manage a complete photographic project, direct models, work with natural and artificial light, and collaborate under conditions similar to professional editorial or commercial shoots. Students will refine their photographic vision while preparing for the creative and technical demands of the industry.

Workshop with Rineke Dijkstra

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Workshop with Rineke Dijkstra

with Rineke Dijkstra

What is good portrait? What technique do you choose? What kind of light do you use? Daylight or flash? What location or backdrop do you choose for? How do you choose your subject? How do you approach someone you don’t know? In this workshop, the students have explored what makes a good portrait and which tools you can use to create one.

Endurance - 2025

BA PHOTOGRAPHY

Endurance - 2025

with Laurence Bonvin

Take risks, experiment, and try out new approaches or techniques in relation to a current or past project, or their future graduation project. Encourage them to take a project or idea further by experimenting with methodology, technique, and production methods, rather than relying on familiar processes, solutions, know-how, or tried-and-true formulas.

Related courses