Extracts from the video performances that I choreographed in response to process being devised in Liquid Art, Cavan, participatory with all others using embodied movement and a score composed by me in response to Mauras brief.
The 2 week residency in a creative 'hot house' in Coote hill, Co.Cavan proved to be a very dynamic, challenging, rewarding process. The concept of "EMBODIMENT" was not clear to the others involved and took 8 days dialogue to explain what needs to be experienced. However, this was personally an amazing learning curve, how to communicate and share knowledge with peers and a deep journey for all of us. I also learned how the fine line of 'group' sharing while living together can be a strength and a weakness, a delicate balance in making each other comfortable and reaching a consensus in democracy while trying to maintain critical dialogue and rigorous exchange in debate.
But the food was delicious and much needed with the snow falling outside and the damp darkness never too far away.
Here is the tex from the blog ; Liquid Art, Cavan
Liquid Art, Cavan
The Time Line
Day 1.
9th March 2013
We the five invited artists arrived between 2 pm and 3pm in
Maidebawn at our “hothouse” residency. Catriona O’Reilly The Arts Officer had
earlier left provisions to welcome us.
The fire was light. We shared a meal that evening, an offering cooked by
the first of us, as we agreed to take turns cooking the dinner in the evenings
and each funded an evening meal during the first weeks. Much talking and
sharing established the positive atmosphere amongst our chatty enthuasistic
crew.
Day 2.
Deep discussion:
This was where we sat down and pulled apart why we were here
for the two weeks. We had questions about art itself and we also discussed and
shared our own practices in our own engagement with the community.
Books on specific topics relating to our different practices
were shared out.
Flexible working structure: We came together and formulated
a starting point, starting at 10am every day with a meeting, making a
commitment to the process, and then let the process take over and that engaging
continued into the late evening.
Day 3.
Introduction to Embodiment:
Looking at embodiment was new for all of us so we had to
discover what embodiment meant to each of us in our different practices. We
also explored movement through physical. We needed to start first with our
bodies and get a sense of this practice in the body with particular emphasis on
movement. This led to engaging with the process through materials.
We were also visited by Emer Coveney, social inclusion unit
and Catriona O Reilly, arts officer, Cavan.
Models of practice:
What is a box?
We looked at other models including the CREATE collaborative performance
box. It appeared to be a prescriptive pack that teachers or groups might
introduce but we found it too prescriptive for our process. This opened up a
full discussion about labels on artists, modes and other approaches to performance,
collaboration and public spaces.
Day 4
March 12th
MAKING Connections: “ Giving a chance for awareness,
presence, trust.”
We began to explore where we meet and the materials and the
spaces that we use. A wide variety of materials were introduced.
There was a deeper discussion on shared knowledge, shared
skills and reflection on how we might work together.
“Process, working source of creativity, new knowledge
through making, developing creative techniques and re- moving barriers.”
Liquid art tool kit offering support not solutions.
We discussed what are the barriers to creativity.
“Embodied expression, exploring
between the body and being embodied. The body is the source of embodied
expression, there is a flow between the two and only in your presence”.
“ Awareness, Receiver, your
embodied expression, transference, clarity- inner and outer. Truth”
Go in to come out.
Not a group identity-
We found that we were not to focus on group empowerment but
self- empowerment. We weren’t following a group identity or agenda but we were
individuals collaborating together to self-empowerment which would feed back
into the group. “Last thing we need is a closed circle as it topples in on
itself”.
“Be true to your own artist”.
That evening we went to Cootehill library and started
uploading the blog. The house had no internet coverage and very random mobile
coverage. So spontaneous uploading to a blog was impossible. This changed the
dynamic of this blog.
------What is best practice?
Knowledge and creativity
The witness chair
Step out of the group, step back and witnessing
Within yourself, within the group, absorb – experiential and
can be educational
Learning comes through process.
“Define it not confine it”
How can we look at work and find embodied expression in our
own work?
Day 5
March 13th
Field trip to Sligo.
We drove altogether in one car across the boarder sharing
stories of place and history, grounding us in the locality. We visited the
Model Art and Niland Gallery. We met other many other artists that were also
visiting. The journey to and from
was a way to open up and get to know each other. When we came back we shared
our response to the art and the space in the gallery and it opened up a critical
dialogue on art and curatorial practice.
The conversations we had with the other artists there led us to
discussion on the day to day realities and the survival of artists in
retirement and pension problems.
Day 6
March 14th
Significant shift in consciousness from analysis to
experiential, embodied process.
Patrick Hall’s painting in the Sligo gallery inspired an art
work to made in response to it and this in turn fed the process. Up to this
point we were engaged in analytical discussion.
But this shift required us to clear the space we working in
of all text from the walls. At this stage the embodiment process led us for a
need for materials, as an embodiment expression through the materials.
“Releasing a lot of barriers to making, letting go of
outcome and allowing a spontaneity.
Trusting
materials and each other, this in turn led to a more experiential embodied
process that became the Process”.
As we experienced this, we became more confident in making,
trusting the Process and each other. We became more open to seeing
possibilities, the links started happening, this was the turning point in our approach; we began to
connect.
The more we experienced a sense of ourselves though
embodiment, the more we discovered the hidden links and connectiveness between
all our practices.
GAMES:
Another artists’ response was to outline the structure of a
game which was dealing with
Interactive, performance space, trace, chance encounters and
public space while being sites specific
and could involve, performance, object and sound.
The games were dependent on visual, non verbal cues.
Day 7
15th March
In the making of this game outside we discussed:
What is the difference between a cue, a direction and an
instruction?
It also raised questions on our senses, our sense of space,
smell, transitions in space.
It brought up for us exactly what we mean by awareness,
mindfulness and presence.
Participatory experiential:
The engagement part of the game is participatory
experiential and with a “release” a change in consciousness is possible.
“Sub-text of the game, how to see layers of the game, using
a cue to give us a chance to be embodied”.
“No judgement, remove any barrier, trusting the artist will
respond”.
“The site, artificially, sound, model, started outside,
practical experiments led to technical solutions.”
It raised questions about spatially how to engage with
public space.
“How can we reach embodiment in this game process?
Where is the intersection of embodiment with the public? How
do we do this?”
Cue as a point of transition?
We questioned where game participants meet us through
embodiment? Is it an embodied facilitator or providing tool for embodiment?
Day 8
16th March
Breaking negative patterns:
We discussed the collective journey and our own journey,
honouring your self, honouring the group but putting your own needs first and
yet working within a group setting. Issue around space and boundaries were
highlighted, including owing your own space.
In the late afternoon we attended an exhibition entitled
Storm Children by Pawel Kleszczewski and Kasia Zimnoch in the Eden Gallery,
Cavan County Museum, Ballyjamesduff and this gave us an opportunity to meet
some local Cavan artists and invite them personally to our open hot house on
Thursday 21st March.
Day 9
17th March
A reflective day for internal personal processing of the
work to date.
We shared St. Patrick’s day celebrations with our Estonian
artist at the parade in Cootehill.
Day 10
18th March
Using text we looked at our own individual voices within the
group and how words could lead us in.
There was a shift on our use of language within the process
from stilted formal “essay writing” language to discovering a personal voice
through the process of exploring approaches to script. “Creativity coming out
through the use of story telling.”
The challenge of how to take a narrative and interpret it
through another media was explored.
This resulted in puppet making, participatory performance
through the use of score and framing it with video.
Day 11-
March 19th
We started the day with a discussion on the history and
legacy of embodiment and where it meets new media and framing.
Practitioners of embodiment included Bonnie Bainbridge
Cohen,USA, Joan Davies, Ire, Marian Woodman, USA, Marian Dunlea, Ire, Julia
Kristeva, FR, Merleau-Ponty, FR.
A discussion followed on harnessing creativity through
engaging with embodied process and technique.
Day 12
March 20th
We started the day participating in another form of
embodiment, a grounding meditation.
We reiterated our commitment to the process as opposed to
focusing on the outcome looming over us i.e. an open presentation on the 21st
and Cavan TV recording. This was a
very practical test of sustaining an embodied presence despite an external
requirement for a public outcome on Thursday. People continued on their
personal journey of responding minus the inner critic and making work.
Having decided that we are not making new work for
Thursday’s public showing, we then had the challenge of how do you retain and
present the process?
How could we ensure our two week process was visable to
visitors?
How do you invite them to interact with the process itself?
How do you use a house/domestic space to show work?
Could the space lend its self to the natural journey of the
work?
How do we invite participants to move through the house
without specific directions?
Through our discussion in the late evening we were very keen
to be true to the work and facilitate “authentic access” to the different
strands; text, visuals, photos, materials, video, live performance, finished
and ongoing work.
By opening the house we wanted to create a warm experience,
as a point of meeting for the participants. We decided to provide a blazing
fire, tea and cakes and laid out the work to encourage people to wander through
the space.
Day 13
March 21st
Rising early we all applied ourselves to the tasks required
to open up the house.
We did a last session of embodiment as the Cavan TV crew arrived.
Going through our time, the description of the process
flowed for camera. As we waved goodbye to the Paul Cox of the Cavan TV crew, we
were at the door to welcome artists who included those who we had met at the
Eden gallery the week before. The house filled with people and was transformed
into a warm buzzing space. Every room was alive with conversation.
The visitors were very open in engaging with work and gave
lots of feedback.
We were on hand to answer any questions about the process,
even the recipes.
Our own embodied process continued through the taking of
polaroid shots and displaying them on the time line. This provided a point a
conversation, framing the meeting.
Day 14
March 22nd
We continued with our process of meeting and we reflected on
the previous day. Discussions centered on what we would upload to our blog.
We also talked about the follow up, where we go from here
with the work, our own personal experiences of the shared knowledge.
We concluded with taking care of housekeeping and gathering
up the materials for departure and closure.
