My first Exhibit!

I have much blogging catching-up to do! Above is a picture of my first bit of 'something on a wall' without a live presence. The opportunity to make something to be left in the space came from Pea and Pea Collaborations who curated the Falling/ Fooling installation at the Fringe Arts Bath Festival (May 2010). This work was exhibited throughout the two weeks of the installation, alongside the other artists pieces and my performance of Private Joke.

Pictured is a cd player that plays genuine sound footage of a music exam recorded around 1998 at my secondary school in Cambridge. It plays a long, excruciating and shambolic music practice; on an instrument that is hard to define. There are two distinct voices, one of pupil and one of teacher and their exchange is at times more embarassing then the music itself. The tape came accidentally into my hands when I wanted to record something and asked my teacher for a blank tape. Years later I put the tape into a player and curiosity led me to fast forward. This piece takes up a good 14 minutes, which I have cut down to 12 by taking out the 'candidate name and number' in order to protect their anonymity. The tape was a big inspiration for my performance piece 'Private Joke' which features a lot of failing as well as the humble determination in such situations when 'the performance must go on'...

Above the pictured cd player is some hand-drawn notation to accompany the soundtrack. Drawn in black ink are various kinds of falling figures and downward scales as well as some jolly italic instructions. Viewers must follow the pattern of the notation as they listen to the music stumbling on.

Private Joke at 'Falling/ Fooling' an exhibition at FAB Festival

A performer alone in the performance space (with a microphone and a few minimal props) begins to expose an intimate and private joke. At the core of the joke is the recalling of an incident - an accidental and (un)fortunately public incident – when she fell over.

Private Joke is a solo performance that contemplates the notion of falling. It is a predominantly vocal piece that weaves itself around both physical and metaphorical appropriations of falling. These are presented in the manner of subtle slapstick, bringing attention to the similarity between the words fall, fail and fool; and pursued in a performance that presents its own flaws, jokes, stumbles, mispronunciations and digressions from the point.

Photos of Private Joke, May 10

Photos taken by Annelies Puddy (Pea and Pea collaborations)

Conductors of Ivories - the performance

Conductors of Ivories...

is the re-creation of Beethoven's Sonata in C sharp minor, played on a Piano and several Toasters. This surreal 'Quasi una Fantasia' offers the possibility of sound through manipulation of the electrical appliance, the musical instrument and the human body. The musicians approach their instruments with delicacy and expectation, before breaking rhythm, shifting direction and feeding anticipation. They traverse domestic, poetic and organic ground as they embark on an unusual expression of musical duet.

Conductors of Ivories

I have spent the early part of Autumn working towards a new piece that premiered in Testing Grounds at Southhill Park on Halloween. The work is collaborative - a duet between myself and Christina Jensen. We have been attempting to find a meeting point between our seperate practices, where we can sit alongside, contribute and affect our lines of thought without rubbing each other out. Currently our joint practice embodies dance, experimental theatre and live art. Our work challenges the uses of humour, spectacle, skill, musicianship and movement. This is our first piece where sound is the starting point for play. The photos above are from the process which began in the Unit 5 project space in Norwich, transgressed to Chatsworth Palace in Homerton and then Chisenhale dance space, London; before spending the final week in deepest, darkest, greenest, dog-walking, Bracknell - where we met some fine folk!

An October Update

I spent two weeks in the Unit 5 project space in Norwich just recently. It was lovely to move out of the bedroom and into a proper studio space to try out some new ideas and revisit old material. The first week was spent with Christina Jensen starting our process towards a sound duet we are performing at the end of the month. The next week I concentrated on remaking Private Joke for a new space, new audience, new context. PJ seemed to navigate itself to this much brighter, more spacious arena quite comfortably and the audience looked chilled out on their armchairs and sofas, with peanuts and party rings to hand. Thanks especially to Kate who manages the space and was really helpful, and Rebecca who bought her birthday entourage along and did not mind delaying her celebrations! I'll certainly work in Unit 5 again, and continue to privately joke...

Coming soon...

Private Joke

will take place at the Unit Five project space in Norwich on Saturday 3rd October, 7:00 pm