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.
11 Dec 2011
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.
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.
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