culture declares emergency, Olafur Elliasson,studio

Culture declares emergency

https://www.iconeye.com/design/news/item/13322-culture-declares-climate-emergency-expands

Olafur Eliasson Retrospective.

If you can't see his show watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaYdmuG_0Rw

one of the most formative art exhibitions i have ever seen, my older children have visited 2 or 3 times! I bought the catalogue and i will be processing it and it will inform my thinking. I'm adding it to coffee and chat it ranks equal alongside last years Mary Oliver's poetry.


 and the cheapest place i have found to buy The little sun online is....
https://ethicalshop.org/little-sun-solar-light.html


Embodied Space
Thank you to Eddie, Karen Harrington and Luke for photos at the weekend.
With film set up by George and photos sent in from Angie.

Shallal Studio
the dream is to have a bustling vibrant studio with artists of different styles, mediums and genres working in the shared space and it's beginning to fill its timetable and to have artists who want to have semi residence, particularly excited and pleased to have trustees Barry and Alexandra interested in this aspect and looking forward to deeper chats about it. 
Tomorrow we have our business meeting there then i have a meeting with Alexandra, and i plan to go in next Monday with George and Eddie.

The Nature of Why, Para Orchestra and Caroline Bowditch ...the concept of Universal Design

Last night 12 of us went to see The Nature of Why
https://www.kneehigh.co.uk/shows/the-nature-of-why/
Thank you to all our friends at Kneehigh what a wonderful gift.
I haven't seen anything that good or engaging since Wolfgang's work!
The joy of being immersed in live music and dancers around you, and so well done, sensitive engaging, including and so much to say about it.
 I had read about Caroline Bowditch the choreographer before and had heard the excitement with which Anna ( Murphy) talked about Charles Heywood and the Para Orchestra..http://paraorchestra.com/

Im just following threads from looking up Caroline's work and have found links to:

Design for All[edit]

The term Design for All (DfA) is used to describe a design philosophy targeting the use of products, services and systems by as many people as possible without the need for adaptation. "Design for All is design for human diversity, social inclusion and equality" (EIDD Stockholm Declaration, 2004). According to the European Commission, it "encourages manufacturers and service providers to produce new technologies for everyone: technologies that are suitable for the elderly and people with disabilities, as much as the teenage techno wizard."^[8] The origin of Design for All^[9] lies in the field of barrier free accessibility for people with disabilities and the broader notion of universal design. 

So great we are on the page and thread we have been following..!

It's what i've been working on in our small way and path.......I visited America when i was 16 and about 21  and was so impressed by beauiful new build accessible public buildings...at that time i had seen nothing similar in the UK.. 

from Caroline Bowditchs page: http://www.disabilityartsinternational.org/artists/profiles/caroline-bowditch/

These workshops will introduce Principles of Universal Design in dance and performance pioneered by Jürg Koch at the University of Washington, Seattle. Instead of a disability specific approach of ‘adapting’ movement to suit individuals, this approach allows everyone in the class to work with the same principles and use them in a way that works for them and allows them to push themselves.

Yay, that is what we have been working on....

And then Tinas birthday her photo is on instagram!

the final dance of The Nature of Why ,the dancer in the centre of the piece chose her as his partner! see instagram for Colin's photo

and thank you to Eden for a great day ....

leave that for another episode.

film of dances by Sapphire Sumpter and the start of a new term - so much going on....

Film by Sapphire Sumpter

Such a lovely serendipitous meeting when Anna and i went to hear Theo Clinkard talk at CAST Helston, https://www.emilyalden.com/mw12events/2019/theo-talk
we met Saffy and Nigel who live in Helston and we knew through home ed many moons ago.
Saffy is currently on a BA at Rambert
https://www.rambertschool.org.uk/degrees/fdba-degree/ and has just sent me a link to her choreography and performance. We were talking about what Shallal Dance Theatre had been doing and my love of Gorecki's 'Sorrowful Songs' and how we used it on the beach at Trebah Gardens ( previous blog photo)

"I attach a link to the video of my piece to Gorecki’s Symphony no.3 and Audiomachine’s Farewell to Earth.
It was chosen to be performed in May by Dance4 and Serendipity as part of a two week long dance festival called Lets Dance International Frontiers, and was shown at the Curve, Leicester."
https://youtu.be/MKtVokpoRgM

Then the final shared information was that she was going to study with someone called Wolfgang in London!
( Wolfgang Stange of Amici my old dance teacher, https://amicidance.org/about/drop2-2)
So pleased for her and look forward to chatting when she is next home in Cornwall.

Below our new poster for Embodied Space.

It has been a pleasure having meetings with Lou and Phoebe towards the Studio and to stand in for Debs at Express Yourself this week, such an enjoyable creative group. Barry is back from summer travels so we plan to have supper soon to chat over Studio and life!

Oli has given us a belfast sink and Colin will build a structure, then the studio is all ready to go.

Look out for Fun Palace Krowji 5 October and Open Studios as times to visit!

Saturday 5^th October 10am-1pm  annual Fun Palace at Krowji event.

Krowji Christmas Open Studios will take place on 29^th November – 1^st December, starting at 5pm on Friday 29^th and continuing over the Saturday & Sunday daytimes.

Do follow our instagram for regular visual updates on projects and behind the scenes Shallal stories.

https://www.instagram.com/shallalarts/

Shallal 2's rehearsal just determining the music for their show, which is also on Saturday 5 October, was reassuring and inspiring, with so much on these 2 weeks, its been great to return to the actual work - not just planning - and see the standard of work and peoples creativity.

At the end of the Liskeard group yesterday Thomas ( Remnant) and Lois ( Taylor) were able to show their duet to his mother, who can't make the show on the 27th, another inspiring and beautiful piece. Their movement qualities are so compatible and comfortable together.

On a behind the scenes note i hope to travel by train to Liskeard in the future as i love my day out there but don't enjoy the drive home and it's not very green, and up until this term i have often given lifts.

As usual this blog is part to share information and part distraction, this time from finally clearing out last photos of the imac so Anna can take it to London with her for her art degree. She leaves tomorrow, we drive up together - part of why i'm sooo busy for 2 weeks!

I am about to trial using the Shallal macbook, it initially felt a bit confined to downsize! but i am now excited to use something light weight and portable again, and we have internet at our new spaces - a mixed blessing but - should help!

Finally Back Lane West timetable being consolidated and out soon!

Good to start the new year with so many wonderful creative projects and people involved and now just have to fund the rent for our Krowji Studio after November....

Notes from CPD with Harry Theaker re Embodied Space

Harry's feedback conversation

Colin and I gathered around a computer, with our mobile mobile phones to ascertain how to have the best conversation with Harry miles away 'up north.'
It took a while to find a time, but it was so worth it, 
we tend to just do and unconsciously, intuitively agree so it's good to see the differences and give time to look at the fine things, the subtleties and learn from each others perspective and reflection.

Notes from CPD mentoring by Harry Theatre with Jo and Colin July 2019

Tons of stuff

A sense of an invitation with something thats like a little bit rare..unique opportunity to play with others “ playful space”

Unfolding possibilities, potential locating oneself in that context as life generally not like that

People present without judgment in their uniqueness poetry

“Process as Performance”

..not relying on overly defining

Love working with loose structures

“richly energised space”

”really powerful”

( who gets the mic? which voice do you follow)

Energising present 

Not known 

Reset  the Space

Jo - How would you describe it?

“Completely indescribable. See it for yourself”

Hallmarks

How much sensitivity people have for each other

How much care,

 as well as carefreeness

….something we don’t often see

…( perform, care world around us)

..love in the room

‘positive regard’

Everybody shining

no-one over influencing

Zero Balancing -

present, get out the way enough

Safe Surprises

With it challenges events, predicaments

‘a live space’

Takes you into a heart space

…including conversation in the performance

Narrator to the audience ( Colin has done with Daniela etc)

Audience conversation

Starting with bang and letting it deconstruct

Playing with Dynamics

- discussion re improv ideas in rehearsal/practice time

Positive collaboration

A lot going on!

So much going on, I'll try to tell some through photos:

Firstly thank you to Anna for all her insight, help and support,
she's off to uni soon, leaving me with instagram. She gave me my second lesson this morning! but i'm not a good photographer like her!
She is about to make me a poster for Embodied Space before she leaves. We already have a wonderful short promo film by Barbarahttps://vimeo.com/350359942
Anna is already planning how to get back for Back Lane West Residency which she has been involved in since the beginning! 

Fabulous quirky and powerful intriguing Portraits
from Express Yourself Artists currently at Falmouth Art Gallery community space.
Lots of interactive interesting art for all the family in Falmouth Art Gallery Summer show worth a visit.

Adam working hard tweeking the last credits for 'Face to Face' inspired mini film by Shallal 2 dancers

 So I'm still on half holiday but had a wonderful end of the day sea swim Tuesday with Phoebe and we chatted about the new Studio and projects,
Lou, Phoebbe and i collect the key tomorrow,
and then work floods in, so much of it!
all starting with a bang next term!!!

August 26 Shallal Studios has a new home at Krowji GO8!

Embodied Space, Shallal Dance Theatre performances 
14th September       2pm       Eden Arts Festival Weekend, Eden Project
15th September       3pm      Trerife House, Penzance
27th September       7.30pm Liskerett Centre Liskeard with
                                                                                    Continuum Dance, Out There and Thomas Remnant

5 October                      11.30am and 2pm Shallal 2 performing at Fun Palaces Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro
1-31 October Back Lane West Residency

Lastly thinking of Robin Fisher, who has stayed with us for the final part of his swimming preparation for his cross channel swim https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/robinfisherschannelswim
We wish him good conditions and urge you to support him if you can.

Robin tucking into breakfast with Mary - lots of calories needed for the swim!
I wanted to blog this photo to share some of our holidays and time with Robin and because i realised when looking at it that it had lots of artists work that i love in it...
so do take a look at :
from left to right

https://victoriahilliard.co.uk/
drawing from Sidney from Shallal 2 underneath left
https://www.instagram.com/cuthbertwillis/
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/mar/14/peter-markey-obituary
https://www.instagram.com/carnelianseeker/?
&
hl=en https://www.instagram.com/nativity_icon_studio/?hl=en
https://www.michelfrancois.com/
https://www.behance.net/anselmax/collections - i'm not sure if Chema has a current website, his painting is one people often enjoy and ask about.
https://rubybateman.com/ .   https://www.instagram.com/ruby__bateman/?hl=en

Hope you have had a good summer and hope to see you at an event next term!

Feedback

Late night holiday catch up...
returning from a wonderful week vacation to news we had to leave our wonderful home at St Peters Hall, ( many thanks to them without their unstinting support over the years we may have closed) the end of an era! but on with the new and we already have a fantastic new space for dance on Fridays ( Shallal Dance Theatre) at St Erth Church hall and now we have a new Studio (for a time - more about that on another post)  at Krowji, we get 'the key ' on 22 August and move all the 'art stuff' in on 23rd!

However i"m sitting here uploading Barbara's great new film see FB page https://vimeo.com/350359942- we now have the time in for Eden performance which will be in the Mediterranean biome - fun - love the smells in there...

Still haven't got to the point which is this:
 I also received, on holiday, feedback on the workshop for Continuum Dance ( who will perform in Embodied Space at Liskerett Centre, Liskeard) - thank you to Helen 

"I wanted to take a bit of time before giving you any feedback, not because I had any doubts about the session on Thursday, but because I wanted to try and think about what in particular it was that was so good.  

I’m not sure I’ve succeeded in all of that, but I did want to say that, first of all, everyone loved the session: people were still talking about it with real enthusiasm when we got together at Port Eliot, even though we were so preoccupied with what we were actually doing there.  

We often have the chance in class to do some creative and improvisational dance, on our own and with each other, but I think we’ve never had a whole session devoted to that, and it was brilliant.  It was like playing, and being given full permission to play; but I could see how we all grew in confidence and freedom through the session, triggered by you and by each other, and learning to extend our movement, and discover movement from within ourselves.  That doesn’t happen randomly; it was the way in which you watched us and responded to how we were developing, nudging and directing us so that growth continued in a seemingly natural way.  I also liked the fact that we didn’t have a concrete goal to aim for – in other words we weren’t leading towards constructing a piece that we could devise and perform to the others.  It was treated as a worthwhile exercise in itself.  Just looking around and seeing how everyone was moving was proof of the benefit; I saw people moving expressively and creatively more than I had ever seen in some of them before.  And it wasn’t a lazy option either; we all felt that we had had a good physical workout at the end.

There’s no doubt that the ability to lead such an apparently open-ended session comes from much experience and deep understanding of how dancing people work, and we all recognised that.  I think we all have a great deal to learn from your approach, both as dancers and as leaders.  We loved it and loved you, and look forward to more.  Thank you so much for coming and sharing this with us."

I could say so much but the main joy for me was to try this approach with experienced dancers who as a group already had a high level of mutual trust and were very experienced, i learnt a lot. We are meeting again on 12 September when they come to Out There to continue the Embodied Sapoce exploration...looking forward to it!

There is so much going on these days

 Express Yourself Portraits Exhibition is on at Falmouth Art Gallery community space 

Adam has nearly finished a 1 minute film commission with Shallal2 for  the RCM Royal Cornwall Museum....

Barbara and Lou are busy behind the scenes applying for future projects and funding 

Back Lane West and new Studio Expanding Limits timetables

meeting with Phoebe soon

and amongst all this a wet Cornish holidays beckons!

Returning to the Feedback Colin and i had a good long chat with our Embodied Space mentor Harry Theaker which was really insightful and helpful.

Notes coming soon.

Summer picnic photo plus

So much going on and grateful thanks to our trustees and background support so that i can now concentrate on art and people!!

And there is a lot of it...
I've just sent out our newsletter to try to make the FAD Sharing
Tuesday and Wednesday, filming with some of Shallal2 and Adam 
ORGANISING STUDIO TIME AND ARTISTS FOR NEWLYN AND BACK LANE WEST
Just had our wonderful picnic..along with wonderful young trio Barry and the crumpets www.facebook.com/barryandthecrumpetsuk/
and so much...