Day 2. Catching up
You can tell I am a blogging newbie, as already I am a couple of days behind, and I have forgotten to tell you about the first Postcard Piece! Here’s a sneak peek at what it contains…
Postcard Piece 1 notes
After the first draw from the hat – or mug in this case – I can reveal that Postcard Piece 1 is for Omar Shahryar.
A lot of Day 2 was spent resting. Jet lag, and a very long first day, has taken its toll! I also still can’t shake a cold that’s been with me for weeks. It often seems the case that there is either not enough time, or the time you give to yourself as free/leisure time feels sacrificed. (There’s a lot of relatable truth in PhD Comics…) I am still learning not to judge time, but to focus on active decision-making.
I’m not sure I’ve said here yet that the aim of the Postcard Pieces is to distill something of each day into a piece that can fit on a postcard.
Today’s piece is in the form of a poem, with directions for audience participation, and is for Sarah Goulding.
Day 3. Yelling
First full day in the studio today. During Friday’s Musical Encounter I had an idea for a solo performance piece which I wanted to work on. Having not properly developed a theatre piece for myself before it is time I challenge myself to do so! I donned a theatrical black t-shirt and jogging trousers and spent a good two hours reacquainting myself with my clarinet, taking it apart, playing with the case, playing with the reeds, and watching back videos of me jumping, yelling, and generally being quite boisterous.
The piece will be called ‘Solo Performance Piece’. I have put in a Performance Request to share it next Friday in the Rolston Recital Hall. I won’t give games away as I intend to film it when it gets performed and share the video. Instead, here are some of my scribblings from watching videos of myself…
‘Solo Performance Piece’
The piece is based on a short performance I did at Beacons Festival in 2014, where I was one of 6 Artists-in-Residence on the Live Art Bistro’s Impossible Lecture retreat (bit of a mouthful, that!). Those were five fantastic days spent with great artists like Katharina Arnold and Skeleton Project, and mentored by the amazing Pauline Mayers. The retreat was an artistic turning point for me. I learnt much to do with trust, confidence and creativity on stage, technology (in a tactile, non-digital sense of using what is available), and realised attitudes of mind that are more helpful than others.
Ever since I have craved returning to a similar mindset. ‘Distraction’ is a word that’s been on my mind today. I sometimes get easily distracted, not least when there are multiple time and work demands. I sense here a liberated mind returning, as if something is being let go.
Today’s Postcard Piece is about something else. It has been great to meet so many artists in such a short space of time – I must write more about what I’ve been listening to and reading soon. I was thinking about social interactions, and a wordplay and anagram came into my head.
Postcard Piece 3 is called ‘Archaism’ and is for Morag Galloway.
A special kind of race is taking place on Wednesday… more news in the next blog!
Sulphur Mountain from Bow Valley bridge