Thursday 22 December 2011

a little more time to play

Well it has been a great 10 days or so, with a little more time on my hands to really just play around with some different spaces. A favourite was an area of rocks near a storm water drain, I loved playing with the risk of the uneven surface of the ground and making my way through it like a labyrinth.

I have noticed that I really like to be outdoors where possible, that it's more interesting and stimulating to be in an outdoor space or at least in a space where there are other people in the vicinity. Also to simply get outside and be somewhere a little unconventional is so refreshing and takes me away from the usual inside a studio, or at a desk, or in a shop...

Another great thing about this project, as I realised when I was explaining to someone the other day about this project, is how much I like the interaction with other people in the space when I am performing, I really seem to feed off it and it brings out some really interesting movement and responses form me and the people around me. It also makes it more real for me and makes me think about what they must think and how it has affected them...if at all??

The person also asked me why I was doing this blog, and I responded “for my sanity and for my self”. And though sometimes it’s hard to commit to doing it each day, once I do it’s definitely its own reward. Especially in this busy Christmas season, just to be alone and with my own agenda, engaging in my artistic practice in effect like a ritual, and to make people stop and look and be surprised by something in their day, feels just awesome!!

Ok so here is 7th installment. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday 13 December 2011

playing catch up

Finally I have caught up on filming and editing and I'm up to date!!
Was getting a little behind the times there for a while, but definitely going to try and not let this happen again.

Starting to quiet down a bit now at the end of the year and looking forward to just focusing on this, pushing myself out of my comfort zone in terms of spaces and movement choices. It is starting to become habitual and uninteresting to perform, so definitely need to shake it up a bit!

Over the past 2 weeks (gahhhh I can't believe its been that long since my last post) I have experienced some peaks and troughs in the way I’m feeling about this endeavor, it was a little like a chore sometimes, mostly because I didn't have the time to give it the full attention it needed. Other times it has been a welcome release from my other work.

The spaces I have explored tend to be more specific to where I have been working, along my general daily pathways, at QL2 studio and theatre and the park outside the preschool I teach at for example. Still, they have been interesting none the less, turning a familiar space or environment into a performance area, even if I'm the only one there to experience it!

A highlight was filming the end of class for Quantum Leap company training - an open improvisation where I danced with the teenage students for 10 minutes instead of teaching them, was a wonderful feeling. Also revisiting New Acton, the site of a more formalised site specific group performance I was involved in last year, was very interesting. Seeing how the space has transformed and the business of the complex has expanded. People seemed curious and taken aback by my being there and doing that!! even in this art friendly environment...love it!!



6th Installment, this excerpt starts from Day 18 to Day 57.

Let me know any ideas you have for spaces I can explore. Would be great to get some inspiration and feedback!! Cheers

Thursday 1 December 2011

Indoors vs Out

It has been an interesting week, so many variations in the weather that I have had to certainly improvise when it comes to finding innovative spaces to perform and film in. It has been very wet on and off, with some very steamy and hot days, so I have inevitably delved deeper into exploring the indoor spaces that I encounter in my life that seems to be winding up as the year comes to an end. I have been so run off my feet with work that I have found it really difficult, I must be honest, keeping this filming/editing/blogging process going.

Despite this chaos what I have noticed and enjoyed exploring, and also I guess documenting, is the range and diversity of my life activities at the moment. Working for myself, teaching for others, working in a commercial/retail environment has really opened up possibilties to explore some unique spaces. I particularly enjoyed dancing in the back store room of the retail shop I am currently a Christmas casual for and in the change room at David Jones....classic, if only the shop assistants knew the shinaningans I was getting up to!!




So here is the next installment, I have cut the first 2mins of the film to date (to make upload and watching the new stuff easier). Enjoy!