EMRA: A playground for the body, the mind and the soul
Wednesday 22 April 2026
EMRA is an interdisciplinary collective currently led by LIPA students Mira Frischknecht and Juan Suarez Battan. We caught up with Mira and Juan to learn more about the project.
What first inspired you to establish EMRA?
Mira: I’ve had the honour of experiencing art that felt truly life-changing and opened a world for me where everything can be built, broken and rearranged, something that constantly reacts to whatever you feed it.
I am deeply fascinated by that power of art: how it can shape perspectives, create connection, spark discussion, and hold stories and emotions in a way nothing else quite can.
With EMRA, I wanted to create that kind of space for others too.
How would you describe what EMRA is trying to achieve right now?
Juan and Mira: We see EMRA as a living concept.
Our goal is to create a space where people can experience, feel, think and reflect, where all ideas are allowed to exist. A space that opens questions about how we create, how we live, what we value and how we connect with one another.
It is something that is constantly evolving and becoming—bringing people together to collectively create art.
A playground for the body, the mind and the soul.
EMRA is a collaborative, interdisciplinary project. What is important to you about working across cultures and disciplines?
Mira: The possibility of growth, both personally and artistically.
We all carry different skills, perspectives and stories, and I’m constantly amazed by what can emerge when people truly come together. How much an idea can expand when multiple minds engage with it.
Especially in a time where so much is built on competition and power structures, I want to create an environment rooted in connection and support rather than fear. A space where we can discuss, disagree and see things from different perspectives, because to me, that is also art.
In a way, it’s a space I personally want to exist in this world but maybe it opens doors for others to build the kinds of spaces and ways of being they believe in.
Working interdisciplinarily and not restricting EMRA to any genre or medium of art allows us to give ideas exactly what they need to reach their full potential.
How has studying at LIPA shaped the development of the project?
Juan and Mira: Well we met at LIPA, so EMRA in its collaborative form really started here.
Being surrounded by so many different artistic approaches has opened doors for exploration and introduced us to incredible collaborators. Through this environment, we were able to realise our first large-scale production, EMRA Act 1, where nearly 40 students contributed.
That experience taught us not only about organisation and interdisciplinary collaboration, but also about EMRA itself. It helped us understand more clearly what we want to create through live performance and art.
What excites you most about where EMRA is going next?
Juan: I think the concepts behind our upcoming projects feel much more cohesive and intentional, which is incredibly exciting.
It feels like we’re only just scratching the surface of what EMRA can become. We’re growing creatively and as a team, collaborating with new artists and musicians, and we’re especially excited to develop our next, more experimental project, EMRA Act 2 - The Prelude, which we hope to premiere in Liverpool in October 2026.
We also can’t wait to bring EMRA Act 1 to Switzerland this June for its debut there and for every moment we go crazy about a new idea.
Photography and videography: Spring Picnic Pictures, supported by LIPA filmmakers
