We’ve been fortunate enough to have various artists leading
workshops exploring their own creative practice. In November, we saw a sneak
preview of material / rearranged / to / be at Siobhan Davies Studios with an
invited audience.
Siobhan Davies is a well renowned dance artist and the artistic
director of Siobhan Davies Dance. Her work has been described “as less
theatrical than most of London Contemporary Dance Theatre’s pieces, less
musical than Alston’s, less narrative than Spink’s.” Davies’ work is
multidisciplinary, and Davies is interested in the cross over with dance, film
and visual art.
Davies’ current work is entitled material / rearranged / to/ be and
takes the form of several individual artists each co-commissioned to create a
piece of work linked to the original exploration. This is a multi platform
walkabout piece exploring gesture, posture and how it is interpreted on
different bodies. I won’t divulge too much because the performances will
premier in January.
Siobhan Davies led a two and a half hour related workshop
exploring the research process behind the piece. Davies said that the starting
point involved taking inspiration from poses in portraiture. We attempted to
embody many of the initial research images. At first glance, this task seemed
quite manageable, however embodying these traditional poses proved very
challenging. We discovered that this is a very difficult starting point for
movement as these images are static. This difficulty led to finding either the movement
before, or directly after these poses. We explored these gestures in
smaller groups and gave feedback to one another. It was interesting to note how
very small differences in the placement of the hand, the turning of a head, or
even eye contact can greatly alter the perception of a scene. Naturally, these
small movement segments seemed theatrical and to tell a story.
Even though the original images used were very antiquated, the
task of attempting to replicate imagery resonates as a very contemporary issue.
As humans, we learn by mimicry. With the advent of technology, this has
drastically altered how we learn and perceive the world. For example, there is
rise of image based social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. A
user can upload a photo and edit using filters and we as consumers attempt to
replicate these images. It makes it seem as though these images are easily
attainable. From this workshop I gained more awareness into the images I am
consuming. I also gained an insight into the starting point for Davies’
exploration. Interestingly, the impetus was inspired from another art form. I
will attempt to take this knowledge into my own practice. It is also
fascinating to note the different perceptions of the same posture, gesture and
movements from people of differing body types, ages, genders and ethnicities.
I’m looking forward to see the full performance at the Barbican
Centre in January.
