Plans are really coming together for the IN-SITE project. We have exciting new ideas flowing and two weeks booked in with the dancers to explore these ideas in depth.

We are delighted to have to have the brilliant James Williams on board with the project. James will be working in collaboration with myself and Nicola to create the final film.

Nicola and I recently had another research day on Sun Pier. We experimented with sewing material onto the railings to see how it falls; the wind on the pier creates movement within any material that we have used. We would like to try attaching bigger garments or lengths of material to the pier to transform the landscape more. This would also open up a whole new realm of possibilities choreographically and in terms of movement exploration. We will be experimenting with this in the near future.

I have also been looking at new ideas with the dancers. In our last rehearsal we looked at developing character through movement. Inspired by the flamboyant character of Bluebell, we looked at how to find subtleties and extremities within movement. This can now be used as a tool to access different layers of a character in future research. I am looking forward to working on more in depth material when we begin our rehearsal period at the end of March…

 

This week I was back in the studio with the dancers. I was really excited to begin working on some ideas with them for IN-SITE. This week we began by simply investigating object manipulation, something I haven’t explored in my previous work. It was great fun to explore a brand new avenue for myself and the dancers. The dancers explored moving with objects in a variety of ways and also investigated moving with jackets. I found it really interesting to look at how the body moves when its interacting with an object. It was also beautiful to see how the hands move when you take the objects away; there is a delicate gestural quality to them which is captivating. Working with jackets was great as their structure provides a human form or character that can be manipulated. Take a look at the video edit below for a glimpse of what we got up to…

MENTOR MEETING- Monday 23rd Feb:

Before Monday evenings rehearsals Nicola and I spent the day in Chatham for a very insightful meeting as part of the Mentor Scheme of the IN-SITE project. Once a month the commissioned artists meet and guest speakers are invited to give presentations on their practice and their area of expertise. Monday 23rd February saw the first of many wonderful guest speakers.

The day began with a talk from Anna Heinrich and Leon Palmer (Heinrich & Palmer). As visual artists they have worked in collaboration since 1991 and they have a wealth of experience creating work within the public realm. They have worked alongside a range of different groups of people, from architects to residents of a housing estate as well as museum staff and contractors. From their talk we gained an understanding of how to approach working with the multitude of people who may be involved in a single project. Anna and Leon demonstrate the ability to be adaptable and approachable whilst also remaining clear about their artistic idea and staying true to their practice.

The second talk was from Judy Adam, the curator for artSOUTH, a large project involving a number of commissioned artists embarking upon their own projects. Judy talked us through the logistics of the project as a whole and outlined some of the artists individual projects. It was great to hear how other artists had approached a collaborative commission and also selected specific sites to inspire their work. Hearing Judy talk about the planning and organisation of the project was slightly mind-blowing due to its scale but also inspirational to see how enthusiastic she was about each individual work.

The final presentation was from Jacqueline McCormick from Cheshire Dance. She talked us through the work they created for the arrival of the Olympic Torch in 2012 which was on a staggering scale! It was almost unbelievable to see how they pulled off such a mammoth task and truly inspirational to see Jacqueline talking with such pride and enthusiasm for the project. She also talked us through some smaller scale work they have done, all of which was site-sensitive. It was really useful for me to hear how other choreographers respond to a site in their work. Jacqueline is also creating innovative ways to present work that is more immersive for the audience. This made us consider alternative ways of taking dance to the public.

 

On Monday, Nicola and I met in Chatham. We planned to begin bringing to life some of the research we gathered simply through spontaneous play.

The first part of our research consisted of gathering stories from local residents. We knew that we wanted to explore themes of home, travel and journeys and began by getting in touch with UCA (University College of Arts). Nicola became resident artist at the UCA Halls of Residence, where she collected stories from passing students. Having felt that her research had not provided enough inspiration, Nicola has since spent a lot of time walking through the Chatham/ Rochester area talking to local residents. Her conversations uncovered an Urban Myth about an estranged woman known as ‘Bluebell’. Having passed away a few years ago, Bluebell has left quite a legacy in the local area it seems, particularly with the older residents, many of whom remember specific details about her appearance, habits and misadventures. The memories people spoke of were bizarre yet touching and allowed Nicola and I to begin piecing together a character.

Below are images of the scrapbook Nicola has created from her research. From Nicola’s research I intend to take stories, images, illustrations, text and textiles into the studio to use as a starting point with the dancers. I have booked in two weeks of Research and Development with the dancers of Daisy Farris Dance Collective. During this time we will transform and expand the research further. I am very excited to get into the studio with all of this rich research!

According to local memory, Bluebell was extravagant and theatrical in her appearance. She would walk for miles around the Medway area, dragging a carpet, carrying bags and walking between traffic. She was in love with the local Doctor and would leave chocolates on his car bonnet along with oranges and bananas too! She had a habit of going into the Post Office and arranging a selection of ornaments before walking out again. She would paint her nails in Rochester town centre and then move on.

These strange acts inspired Nicola and I to experiment ourselves…

For Nicola and I, Bluebell represents many of the themes we had been discussing in our research. She considered the Medway area to be her ‘home’ but was continually on the move. She carried with her possessions that she considered valuable or important and her extravagant appearance gave her an identity. As Nicola and I explore ways to combine our practices, we have become interested in props and how they inform movement; Bluebell gave us an excellent starting point to begin exploring this. As you can see from the video, our experiments were focussed on play and at this point we were making no attempt at incorporating movement or choreography. Although very playful (and bordering on the ridiculous!), these experiments have allowed us to explore eccentricity and a new identity which will inform our collaboration.

We are not sure if Bluebell will remain with us for the duration of the project, or if she is simply a temporary inspiration. But for now she is providing a lot of food for thought…

Pictures from our day of fun…

I am delighted to introduce IN-SITE Public Realm Commission 2015. I have been commissioned along with five other artists from a range of disciplines to create a brand new piece of work in 2015. The six artists involved have been paired up to create work in collaboration. The three final works will be installed, or presented, between June-August 2015 within an area of regeneration along the riverfront between Chatham and Rochester. Each work will collaborate the different artists mediums and will be created in response to the site and the surrounding area.

I have been paired with illustrator and textile artist, Nicola Flower. Although our practices are extremely different, we are both interested in collaborating visual arts, textiles and movement. You can view some of Nicola’s beautiful work on her WEBSITE. Drawing on her own life and experiences, Nicola creates work that is both bold and intimate. Her work takes a number of different forms; illustration, textiles, found objects, installations and performance art to name just a few. I am really excited to incorporate elements of her unique work into my own practice!

Nicola also has an abundance of skill working within the outreach and community engagement sectors. She has worked on a number of projects where the process of creation involves marginalised and vulnerable groups of people. These projects have an immeasurable impact on the people involved and creates work that is personal and holds the stories of the participants.

The Collaborative Project

At this point the project is very much in the planning and research stages. A few weeks ago, Nicola and I visited the site to spend time in the landscape. The area along the river, and the river itself, have a sense of bleak beauty. Like something forgotten and neglected, the river seems to hold the memories of past lives. Walking along the riverside, it is eerily quiet; yet you can imagine the hustle and bustle that would have surrounded the Pier many years ago. Below are a series of photographs taken from our walk along the site between Chatham and Rochester.

During this research period we intend on collecting stories from local residents from all walks of life to use as inspiration for our work. We hope to gather stories that are unique to the community and its residents and engage with the public on a personal level.

Due to its collaborative nature, IN-SITE is also a fantastic opportunity for myself and Nicola to develop our individual artistic practices, whilst also developing a brand new practice within our collaborative relationship. For this reason myself and Nicola will be ‘Skill Swapping’ next Monday- dancing and drawing by the River Medway…watch this space…

2015 has started in an exciting way!!

In the studio we are currently working towards our first performances of the New Year. We will be performing the new work ‘Learning to See’ on February 7th at TripSpace as part of Spun Through Shadows. We will also be performing at Swallowsfeet Platform for a second consecutive year.

Preparations for IN-SITE Public Realm Commissions are also underway. I had my first meeting with the lovely Nicola, the visual artist who I will be collaborating with for the site specific project. It was great to finally begin talking over ideas for the project and planning ahead for the next few months. The project is focused on an area of regeneration along the River Medway between Chatham and Rochester. We took a walk along the site to get a feel for the location. Nicola and I intend on collecting stories from individuals living in the area which we can then use as a starting point for research and development.

The commission is set to be unique, rewarding and exciting. Watch this space for more news and developments…

IN-SITE Regeneration Site:

Daisy Farris Dance Collective is delighted to announce that we have been commissioned by IN-SITE Public Realm Commissions 2015. 

IN-SITE are looking to commission three brand new works to be installed/performed along the River Medway in Chatham and Rochester in 2015. The brief was open to artists of all mediums and each new commission will be a collaboration between two different artists. Daisy Farris Dance Collective will be collaborating with Nicola Flower, a visual artist specialising in textiles, to create a site-specific work along the riverside. The Collective is extremely excited to embark upon this project in 2015 so watch this space for more information.

Photography: Peter Fry

In other news…

Daisy Farris Dance Collective recently performed at Brighton Dance Network’s Scratch Night which took place in the Studio Theatre at The Brighton Dome. The audience feedback we received was extremely insightful and has had a direct impact upon how the piece is now developing. The first performance of the new work will be as part of Spun Through Shadows at TripSpace on Friday 13th February. This will be an opportunity to show how the piece has transformed thanks to the feedback received at Brighton Scratch Night. Below are some photos from the Scratch Night taken by J.Christos Photography.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are delighted to announce that Daisy Farris Dance Collective will be performing at Brighton Dance Network’s Scratch Night at The Brighton Dome! 

Preparation has begun for the performance of our work in progress at Brighton Dance Network’s Scratch Night. We have spent the last few weeks re-visting and developing the material created during the Research and Development period in August. The movement has progressed significantly and the ideas and concepts have taken on new life! This week was the time to put all of this work into a 10min structure, ready to present at the Scratch night!

Because the work is still in its development stages and has loads of potential for a number of possibilities, deciding on exactly how to put the ideas together was difficult. After much consideration (and white board scribbling) a 10min piece was created! It was great to see the movement put into a structure and discover the dialog that naturally occurs between us as dancers. We have two more rehearsals to finalise and polish everything before the performance on November 6th. It will be a great opportunity for us to get feedback on the work whilst it is still in these early stages!

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in brand new, contemporary work from emerging artists then book a ticket to come and see Brighton Dance Network’s Scratch Night on Thursday 6th November. The line up of artists look fantastic so you will not be disappointed! Book tickets HERE.

 

This Monday we officially began working in our new home at Deptford Green School. It is great to know that we have somewhere to work every week that may also open up new opportunities for DFDC. It also gives me the fun experience of establishing and running my own Youth Company as an offshoot of the professional company.

This week I held a taster day for young people interested in joining the Youth Company. A lively and enthusiastic group of students came along to participate and proved they were up for a challenge! Next week is audition week, where the Youth Company members will be selected! It looks set to be an exciting adventure…

It was wonderful to have the entire company back in the studio on Monday night also.  We began the mind boggling process of re-capping material created during the Research and Development period in August. As the R&D was so successful and the material produced so rich, re-visiting it is prooving to be a detailed task. However, I can already see the movement taking on new life and beginning to develop organically. I can’t wait to see how the work will take shape!

So September is turning out to be a month with lots of new starts for Daisy Farris Dance Collective! Lets see where it takes us…

Thursday was the final day of the creative intensive for Daisy Farris Dance Collective and the passionate work ethic of the entire team did not falter!

The focus was to develop the material we had created over the previous two days, which involved a lot of improvisation and creation as a group. It was really refreshing to be working as an entire group creatively and it highlighted our collaborative strengths as a team. As a result, a lot of fantastic development work was created and snippets of the work began to take shape. This intensive has produced a lot of material of a high quality and I am excited to begin piecing it together as a complete work.

I have been so humbled by the level of commitment and dedication that the team have demonstrated this week. This was our first creative intensive since we were established in August 2013 and it is a very different way of working compared to our regular weekly rehearsals. Having intensive time together has allowed us to flourish as a team, developing work that shows individual artistic investment from then entire team. The creative tasks we have pursued has seen the movement language I have developed previously take interesting new directions. The movement is animalistic, gritty, and rhythmically dynamic. I have chosen to dance in this new work myself, which has given me a completely different experience of the creative process. I have found that experiencing the same as the dancers have given me more choreographic ideas. It has also been a real pleasure to work more collaboratively with the dancers during these three days; they not only respond brilliantly to my ideas but also offer their own creative input.

It has been a real experience working during this intensive and I hope it is the start of many more to come! Look out for lots of photos and some video snippets coming soon.

Yet another productive and creative day in the studio!

This morning, company class was taught by Laura, whose fearless floor work was a great early morning challenge!

Creative work started with a beautiful group improvisation exploring relationships in the space. Extended improvisation sessions show the true creative skill of the DFDcollective team. Each and every person brings their own flare and ideas whilst also working seamlessly as a group (give or take the occasional fumble during contact work!)

Today also allowed for the dancers to teach work to each other as well as learn a phrase I created. Whilst teaching my movement phrase today I realised how far we had come as a team. The dancers are now familiar with my movement style and I am able to understand how to best to communicate more tricky movement. The personal investment from each member of the company is clear in moments like these and it is a reflection of how much we have grown together over the past year.

I am so excited by the variety of movement material that has been produced over the last two days. Collaborating with the dancers has uncovered movement that has a completely new aesthetic! There is certainly lots to be getting our teeth into on the final day tomorrow!!