Reflections on IPP2 Materials Workshop - Amy Voris

For the materials workshop I chose to use a set of fairy lights. I have them constantly hanging up in my bedroom all year round, to remind me of happy Christmas times. I explored with low lighting as this gave a new perspective on the material. As I moved with the fairy light source, images from past memories flooded through me. I played with the idea of being trapped, solving a puzzle, twisting movements and breaking free. I tried making shapes, patterns, and images.
While exploring this material, I remembered an extract from the Tufnell and Crickmay reading ‘A Wide Field’. The reading talks about how sensing and feeling is continuous in our daily lives. We all make connections with certain objects and textures. I realised that the bright, sparkling visual effect from the fairy lights had enticed me into choosing them. Materials can be used to represent who we are as people and how we like to be seen in society. I felt the fairy lights showed a side of my personality and also expressed emotion and connections I had to the material.
During the exploration, I had the idea of using my body to almost sculpt the lights around me. In ‘The Artist’s Body’ reading it mentioned how artists look at themes such as ‘fear, death and danger’ within their work. As I wrapped the lights around my waist, legs, neck and face, these images and themes also became present in my mind and work. This reading also talks about how the body is constantly changing. It is unstable and imprecise. Each body is different and expresses varied ideas and connotations through its behaviour. I remembered this idea when working with my own body and watching other members of the groups exploration.
Eventually as I moved the lights around, the plug fell out of the socket and I felt momentarily free. I could now move to any space within the environment, change shapes without restriction and move and dance with the rope of lights around me. However after a while I noticed that I didn’t have the same sense and feeling as to when the plug was in the socket and the lights lit up. My light source was extinguished. This made me question myself – Is anyone ever truly free? The resistance I felt both from the plugged in light source and when it was unlit and ‘free’ made me question the nature of freedom and restraint.

IPP2 Christian Kipp Workshop

Christian Kipp is a photographer who collaborates with dance artists. We began the session by looking at some of his previous work. I noticed that in many of the collection, the composition of objects and landscapes looked as if there were many layers to each photo.

I was particularly interested in this photo from ‘Highlands’ as you could really see the detail of the textures on the stony rocks at the bottom of the photograph. This rough image juxtaposed with the smoother, cloudy sky. The mountain and lake almost separates the two textures.

I was very interested to hear how he collaborated with dance artists. He spoke about how he attended rehearsals and took photos of the dancers, space and process, then later when the dance work was complete, an exhibition of the photographs he took could be placed within the performance environment. Christian Kipp worked with Amy Voris on ‘Sift’ and ‘Sift 2’. They collaborated with light, projections and movement. We were shown the sequence of images that were projected in the performance and then we had the chance to explore these.

The space was completely dark and at first I found this unusual as normally in a lesson we would be in the light and focusing. However, when the projection began this gave me inspiration to move. The first projection was an orange pumpkin seed projected onto the wall. This made me think of life, birth and something beginning. I decided to improvise small, curling movements that grew bigger. Other images such as a farm house and red wooden panels sparked of strong continuous movements. My favourite projection was a black, textured wooden close up shot. As I went nearer to the projector I noticed the light was reflected onto my own body and also the other dancers around me. This made me think of sparkle dust and an almost ‘magic’ atmosphere within the space. I tried to catch and tap this projection on my skin. This projection was then projected onto the floor. It made it seem like a river that I could jump over and splash.

It was useful to see how shadows could be worked into a performance, and while moving to the projections we began to look at how shadows could be altered and then interact with each other. By moving closer and then further away from the projector, different effects could be made.

We also got the chance to work the projector and then sit out and watch the other dancers to see what the piece would look like from an outside perspective.

I really enjoyed this workshop and found it very useful. I particularly enjoyed actually being within the projection and moving to the images being projected.

Movement Material

The Whole Experience...

Being a Company...

Unwritten Dance

ud, a photo by julia_mccaughley on Flickr.

Working with Andrea Buckley

Signature Scores

My Own Signature

Unwritten Dance Signatures

Andrea Buckley Time Postcard

Andrea Buckley Intensive The Score

Andrea Buckley Intensive Day Two

Andrea Buckley Intensive Day One

The first time Unwritten moved together

Andrea Buckley Task One - Performance Project

Sketchbook

Sketchbook

Studio Practice

Don't go back on myself. Keep moving forwards Journey - where does one movement take me...to another, and another, and another?

Improvisation and Free Writing

This year I hope to ... work things out, to free and loosen my previous thoughts. To achieve things I didn't think I could. Travel the country to find out what my heart is telling me. To trust in fate.

Being back at university

It feels strange to be back at university. The classes seem to be making more sense to me and I'm connecting to ideas more clearly.

IPP Work : Continued exploration with netting material

IPP Work : Image 3

IPP Work : Image 2

IPP Work : Image

IPP Work : Feedback

IPP Work : First exploration with netting material

Ideas forming ...

This entry has particularly helped by enabling me to reflect on the exploration and rehearsal process. When I look back at this entry it reminds me of how rehearsal processes are documented on the Siobhan Davies’ Replay Archive. By blogging the development from movement with paper to the idea of dance making with large netting, I have been able to channel my thoughts and creativity.

Annette Messager

Them and Us, Us and Them, 2000
photo taken from http://www.shift.jp.org/en/archives/2008/09/annette_messager_exhibition.html

Annette Messager

Remains (family II), 2000
photo taken from http://trendland.net/

Artist Research

Annette Messager

My Experience with Tangled Thoughts Company

The company is based around an accumulation of dance, image, projection, film and autobiographical experiences. The company will strive to break through barriers of fear and hurt in order to create a sense of acceptance with anybody suffering with Mental and physical health problems.
Shona Ankers, Tangled Thoughts founder and director

Being part of Tangled Thoughts
I've really enjoyed being part of this company. I can really connect to the theme of this piece and feel my improvisation and contact skills have really improved. By watching and working with second year dancers, I have new ideas and feel more confident when lifting. Shona has really looked after us and the company have really bonded. By watching her process and planning gives me a good example and ideas on how I would form my own company in my third year.

Tangled Thoughts Poster

Tangled Thoughts

Placing Practice in Context - Siobhan Davies Observation

As I found 'In Plain Clothes' very interesting on the Siobhan Davies Replay Archive, I have decided to look at it in more detail. This work was created to celebrate Siobhan Davies new company studio in London. She worked in collaboration with Sarah Wigglesworth (Architect who designed the building). She also worked with the heart surgeon Francis Wells. The dancers perform actions such as walking, sighing and whistling. The intimate space is ideal for these movements. The music is composed by Mateo Fargion. He created a combination of words and notes. As the dancers walk across the space, one at a time moves themselves to the centre of the space. This piece is filled with duets, solos and group dances. I was particularly inspired by the precise movements of the central female dancer. She makes patterns with her body and has a sense of purpose with her movements. The dancers wear blue, green and white plain, simple vest tops and linen trousers. This clothing reflects the mood and concept of the piece. This work is especially interesting to me and has given me an insight into larger scale productions of site work.

Photo taken from the website : http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01170/arts-graphics-2006_1170241a.jpg

How did it go?

Overall I felt my Theatre Skills presentation went well. The group enjoyed taking part in the task and felt that it did build trust. I spoke clearly and made sure that everyone understood what the exercise was and its purpose. If I was to do it again, I would develop it further by using balloons or beanbags and make the movement task part of it slightly harder.

HOW CAN THIS WORK HELP ME IN MY INTERDISCIPLINARY PERFORMANCE PRACTICE PRESENTATION WORK?

Hannah Starkey 'Twenty-Nine Pictures' Sketchbook work

Trip to Warwick Arts Centre - Hannah Starkey 'Twenty-Nine Pictures'

As part of our Interdisciplinary Performance Practices sessions, we went to visit the Warwick Arts Centre and viewed Hannah Starkey's collection, titled 'Twenty-Nine Pictures'. She focuses on themes and issues such as class, race, gender and identity in her work. In this collection, all the photographs were of women. NARRATIVES, WOMEN, REFLECTIONS, MIRRORS, SEPERATION We were then fortunate to meet Hannah Starkey and listen to her work in her Artists Talk. She talked about how she observed people from a young age. Her mother ran a market stall and she used to help out. This is where her fascination with people began.

Sail Arms

Theatre Skills Presentation

Skinner Release - sketchbook page 3

In the studio creating movement with the mental image of Gossala Strings from the Skinner Release Technique Class.

Skinner Release into my Body Story

These scanned in artist journal pages about the Skinner Release Technique has inspired me to explore somatic practices through my Body Story. I aim to develop my understanding of the Skinner Release Technique and to look in more depth at other somatic practices.

This is the question I have chosen to answer:

Different somatic based practices can have many benefits for the dancer. Consider how the different techniques you have been introduced to have contributed to your development as a dancer in both formal 'class' settings and in your everyday life.

Skinner Release - sketchbook page 2

Skinner Release - sketchbook page 1

Skinner Release

As part of our Movement Studies module, Florence Peake led several Skinner Release sessions. Over the past few weeks we've looked at playing with images such as SKULL/MARIONETTE STRINGS, COLD WHITE MIST, FLOATING ON A HAMMOCK, GOSSALA/COBWEB STRINGSThe images from these lessons have stayed with me and have helped me in other classes. We focus on the breath and these sessions made me realize I have not been breathing properly when I dance. We did an exercise in partners where we lifted each others ribs. This really helped me to find the space in the ribs and gave me an uplifting sensation in this area.

Student Feedback for Paper Portrait Work - Fiona Jackson (Dance and Theatre Student)

FRAGILE OR STRONG? SHOULD I DEVELOP A SENSE OF STRENGTH OR VULNERABILITY WITH MY PAPER PORTRAIT DEVELOPMENT?

Exploring with paper

In this session we explored the paper. We first watched Florence Peake demonstrate and I immediately felt nervous. The process looked really claustrophobic and I thought I may get trapped inside the paper. However, when I actually did it, I was surprised to find it felt like someone was giving me a hug and affection inside the paper. COSY, WARM, OWN SECRET PLACE, PROTECTION, HIDDEN, REBORN It made me think of a caterpillar cocoon process and the image of a butterfly and freedom. When we came out of the paper we then made costumes with the paper. I really enjoyed this and felt like a character. This reminded me of wedding dresses/playfulness. This process then turned into the whole group interacting with the leftover papers on the floor. It quickly developed into a snowball fight. YOUTH, PLAYFUL, FRESH, NEW, YOUNG

Paper Portraits Week Three

Paper Portraits Week Three

Paper Portraits Feelings and Thoughts ...

I found this session really emotionally difficult. We started the lesson by drawing a portrait of how we feel we physically look to the world. However, we couldn't use our hands to draw. It was extremely hard to use other parts of my body. (I tried mouth, underarm and toe). When we had an outline of our bodies, we then had to fill in personal emotions, feelings and thoughts with coloured pastels and chalks. I used red and orange to show feelings of pain and sadness through my body. This lesson really made me question : AM I HAPPY WITH MY BODY?

Paper Portraits Week Two

Theatre Skills Puppet Work

We worked in partners to create a puppet out of a mask and pieces of fabric. We then worked together to pass objects. (Tried a broom and cup). I found this extremely difficult at first but we then practiced this and it became more natural and easy.

Puppet Work

Paper Portraits - Gallery

After everyone had completed their own 'Paper Portrait', we stuck up each piece of art, and made a gallery in the dance space. From our own pieces we then created movement from these and performed this to the rest of the dancers. My portrait had lots of flowing lines and curving shapes. I felt it reflected my personality and dancing style. I decided to concentrate on a particular shape on the portrait, and created representation of this through movement.

Paper Portraits Week One

In this session, Florence Peake introduced us into her work 'Paper Portraits'. We began by imagining we were on warm sand and making imprints, deep into it. From this, we began to explore improvising with the idea that the movements we made, could leave markings on the ground and in the air. We then each were given a large piece of plain paper and stuck it to the ground. Using our previous movement ideas, we danced on the paper. While doing this, other dancers used coloured pens to draw on the paper. The markings we made with the pens reflected particular shapes, sounds, movements, dynamics and feelings we saw and felt.

Group Newspaper Scene

Theatre Skills Object Manipulation Workshop

We looked at object manipulation, and talked about how this can lead into puppet work. We each had a sheet of newspaper and experimented with the different ways it could be moved. I scrunched it into a ball, dropped it from different heights, folded it into shapes and flipped it round in the air. We then had to find three actions and movements that the newspaper could do and then presented what we found to the class. After doing this, we got into small groups and created objects and scenes from newspaper pieces.

Review of Eden Dance Company's Performance

I went to see the Eden Dance Company perform ‘Where is the Garden?’ on the 10th December. Before entering the performance space, the audience were asked to make a journey through and around the dancers, and then to sit down. While we were doing this, we could see each dancer exploring an aspect of the space. Bird song music was playing in the background, and this immediately made me think of nature and being outside. The area was filled with large pieces of fabric and plastic. There was a heap of fur coats and eleven pairs of wellingtons neatly lined up by the door.
All eleven female dancers were dressed in simple, green and light pink dresses, with beige and pink coloured t-shirts underneath. The combination of colours was very effective and complimented the naturalistic music.
I noticed the dancers took it in turns to feel the walls and textures of the materials. Suddenly one dancer made a circular flowing arm movement above their head. This movement was repeated by the other dancers.
All of the dancers then began to explore the clear, plastic sheets. Lots of interesting shapes were created when the dancers expanded, pulled, moved and stretched the material. Eventually each person was underneath and covered in the plastic. The dancers and music stopped and everything was completely silent and still. This made me think of animals hibernating and also reminded me of the cocoon process of a caterpillar growing into a butterfly. They then all emerged from the wrapping and performed lots of energetic movement. This could suggest fresh starts and new life and beginnings.
The dancers walked over to the pile of fur coats and wellingtons. They each put on their own coat and footwear. This was a signal to the audience that we were then going on a journey somewhere else.
We were lead out of the Ellen Terry Building and walked to the outside of Coventry Cathedral. The dancers explored the space with energetic jumps, leaps and turns. The performance ended with all the dancers huddled on the Cathedral steps.

Eden Dance Company - Where is the Garden?