Work In Progress
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The main thing I'm working on right now is writing my first script. I had got it half written before the first lockdown started but as I slowly lost everything through the pandemic, work on it ground to a halt. But now I'm back on it!
This is by far the most interesting, largest and certainly the most complex performances I will have created so far. The ideas for this piece are endless! It's completely multi-media, using all of my skills together. All the props and costumes will be individual artworks in their own right as the audience coming into the stage area to view them closer will be part of the piece.
This is by far the most interesting, largest and certainly the most complex performances I will have created so far. The ideas for this piece are endless! It's completely multi-media, using all of my skills together. All the props and costumes will be individual artworks in their own right as the audience coming into the stage area to view them closer will be part of the piece.
I’m currently working on making small sculptural versions of the main character, who happens to be a mermaid (but not the kind your thinking of!). As I’m very new to working in a 3d format I’m very much making it up as I go along, discovering what works and what doesn’t.
Here's a quick synopsis, that will grow as I keep working on it all...
"TIME is a multimedia performance telling the story of a fat, old, bald mermaid. It is the record of her life told from the point of view of after her own death. A story not of ageing, but the continuation of time passing. She tells of her whole life but it's based over the course of just one day, starting after her death going back to her birth. Ending with her obituary, which is combined with an account revealing how the show was made.
The mermaid is a quiet, slowly but clearly spoken character who lived alone in a big old house (no where near water) that was wallpapered in mould and mildew. She was a chain smoker, sitting in her chair that rocks sideways, flicking her tail up at random intervals like it's a nervous twitch and letting it slap down hard. She tells of the memories she has. Of things that happened, of things she went out of her way to do, and others she had no control over. Of how sometimes bad things turn out good and vice versa, but all the while time passes."
I presented a slightly shortened edited version of the script as a read-through to a small paying public audience. And it went well. Lots of very positive feedback as well as some constructive criticism all of which I agree with and was aware of before anyway. And here's the latest pencil drawing of Meryl...
(I think I've caught her much more accurately this time)
"TIME is a multimedia performance telling the story of a fat, old, bald mermaid. It is the record of her life told from the point of view of after her own death. A story not of ageing, but the continuation of time passing. She tells of her whole life but it's based over the course of just one day, starting after her death going back to her birth. Ending with her obituary, which is combined with an account revealing how the show was made.
The mermaid is a quiet, slowly but clearly spoken character who lived alone in a big old house (no where near water) that was wallpapered in mould and mildew. She was a chain smoker, sitting in her chair that rocks sideways, flicking her tail up at random intervals like it's a nervous twitch and letting it slap down hard. She tells of the memories she has. Of things that happened, of things she went out of her way to do, and others she had no control over. Of how sometimes bad things turn out good and vice versa, but all the while time passes."
I presented a slightly shortened edited version of the script as a read-through to a small paying public audience. And it went well. Lots of very positive feedback as well as some constructive criticism all of which I agree with and was aware of before anyway. And here's the latest pencil drawing of Meryl...
(I think I've caught her much more accurately this time)
I’ve also made my first ever sculptural piece for exhibition. She’s only little but she’s had a big impact so far, as she’s interactive. The tail is a sand bag with weights (appropriately, fishing weights!) which meant it would stay wet for a longer period, after I’d dunked it in a bucket of water. So the audience could pull the string to lift the tail. Then letting it go, they’d hear it slap down on the cold hard floor.
This is how she was shown to the public…
The imagery for the mermaid script involves a lot of fungi. So one of the continuous things I’m doing is drawing them. Not always, but usually on watery inky back grounds as I like the way that I just can’t control exactly how it will sit on the paper, along with the controlled pencil marks.
Sometimes I make my own natural inks as I like the process of going out foraging for ingredients, then coming back and cooking them up. But I do also use the odd shop bought ink if it’s right for that particular drawing. And I have been know to use fabric dyes too.
Sometimes I make my own natural inks as I like the process of going out foraging for ingredients, then coming back and cooking them up. But I do also use the odd shop bought ink if it’s right for that particular drawing. And I have been know to use fabric dyes too.
And I’m also dying paper with rust at the moment too, for making more mushroom drawings. It’s a very messy process (gives me black nails for days!). But after letting it all dry the results are worth it.
Here’s a before and after shots showing how you just can’t tell how it’s going to dry…
Continuing to develop my writing skills I've realised I very much write for performance. So you won't ever see a written piece here, to read, as they are written to be heard and seen.
Though to develop my story making skills I am also starting to make small characters assembled from various materials I have lying around the studio. There’s a fine line between being a multimedia artist, and a hoarder! So I have lots of stuff, and I’m really enjoying the freedom these are giving me to explore putting seemingly random materials together.
Once they’re made I know their names, and the short stories about them start from there.
Here’s the first two…
Headless Sue and Jigsaw Jake.
The idea will develop as I make more but at the moment I know I want to work towards them being less human-like, and more like creatures, exaggerating characteristics.