Slipstream

Documentation of Slipstream, my performance for Drafting, the exploratory performance event at Baltic 39 in which a range of artists investigated drawing through performance, and drawing as a performative process.

 

Drafting day 2

Once again the day began with a group breakfast, but today this was followed by a workshop lead by Denys Blacker. In the workshop we explored notions of personal space, interactions between individuals, eye contact, movement and sound.

Meal time

We then worked through the schedule for the performances in the evening. The event today featured the durational works, and the performances which were to be seen at the same time as other performances.

I had some really memorable conversations with different artists, and we helped each other work through ideas. It really seemed like an alternative educational model.

Props for Lee 

Dionne Mombeyarara practises

Joana Cifre-Cerda 

Michelle Follett 

Props in place for performances

Again, the evening was a big success, with a really great turnout and great performances. It was such an incredible event to be part of, with such an inspirational group of people involved. 

We all mucked in with the cleaning up, and then went down to the kitchen to celebrate with curry!

Cleaning up is a big team effort

Drafting - Day 1

What an amazing day.

This weekend I am participating in Drafting, a 2-day drawing and performance event. There are a range of artists and curators involved, coming from all over the UK and at different stages of their artistic career. Over the past couple of weeks I have been helping with the organisation of the event, and have been in email contact with all the artists involved in Drafting. This morning was the first time that I had met many of the group, and having breakfast together was an ideal way to introduce ourselves.

Discussions about the schedule

Alastair MacLennan sets up his space

We were fortunate to be able to use the project space at BALTIC 39, and close attention was paid to how we could best utilise the space given what we each wanted to do. Much effort was taken to ensure that there was movement of the audience over the evening. For instance, we programmed the evening so that after one performance, the audience had to move to a different part of the gallery.

Gillian Dyson prepares the gallery for her performance

Porcelain props in place for Denys Blacker's performance

We were also very mindful of the duration and nature of each performance, and tried to vary the pace. 

Elements of green and orange in place for Debbie Guinnane's performance

Over the course of the weekend, Sally Madge is collecting dust from people, objects and spaces, and displaying these in vitrines in the gallery. Sally notes where the sample has come from and numbers each one before placing it in a grid along with the others.

Sally gathers traces from artist Rene Mcbrearty

Samples of dust collected by Sally Madge and her lint roller

The atmosphere throughout the day has been one of encouragement, respect and support, and this continued in the evening. The audience were fantastic; attentive, quiet and engaged. Many stayed for the full 3 hours.

Debbie Guinnane and Alastair MacLennan in action

I'll be uploading photos of the performances soon.

Drafting - Performance/Drawing Events - Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March

20th - 21st March 2015,
5-8pm both evenings,
Project space, Baltic 39, High Bridge, Newcastle.

An exploratory, two day performance event; This project brings together eighteen artists to investigate a range of approaches to drawing through performance, and to drawing as a performative process.

Participating Artists;
Denys Blacker, Joana Cifre-Cerda, Gillian Dyson, Megan Fell, Victoria Grey, Debbie Guinnane, Lee Hassall, Ricky James, Sandra Johnston, Isabelle Kroese, Alistair MacLennan, Sally Madge, Rene Mcbearty, Lily Mellor, Dionne Mombeyarara, Helen Shaddock, Markos Sotiriou, Nathan Walker

With thanks to; 
Mike Collier, Megan Fell, Sandra Johnston, Esen Kaya, Sally Madge, Lily Mellor 


A draft is generally understood as the preliminary outline of an idea - a text or image that by its nature is malleable and subject to change through a series of adjustments. Where drawing is concerned the term implies developmental phases, including aspects of abstraction in the making of plans, diagrams, signs and notations. Perhaps, the term can even, by extension, be used to articulate ideas of encoded behaviours; it signals how a sense of emergence hovers around the act and concept of drawing, the potential for gaining access to imagined ideas or extracting directly from actual situations; it suggests multiple ways that through drawing it is possible to create physical evidence of both external and embodied circumstances.

Drafting meeting

Next weekend I am going to be participating in Drafting, an exploratory, two day performance event, 20th - 21st March, 2015 in the gallery space at Baltic 39. This project brings together eighteen artists to investigate a range of approaches to drawing through performance, and to drawing as a performative process.

Today a group of us met up to work through some practical matters. We finalised the design and contents of the brochure, and over the next few days they are being printed by risograph.

We also visited the gallery that will be our home for the 2 days, and discussed our plans.

There is plenty that still needs to be done, but we will get there!

Some thoughts on drafting...

A draft is generally understood as the preliminary outline of an idea - a text or image that by its nature is malleable and subject to change through a series of adjustments.

Where drawing is concerned the term implies developmental phases, including aspects of abstraction in the making of plans, diagrams, signs and notations.

Perhaps, the term can even, by extension, be used to articulate ideas of encoded behaviours; it signals how a sense of emergence hovers around the act and concept of drawing, the potential for gaining access to imagined ideas or extracting directly from actual situations; it suggests multiple ways that through drawing it is possible to create physical evidence of both external and embodied circumstances.

The aim of Drafting is to create an environment where consideration of the potential imbedded in the act of drawing as well as communication through drawing can encourage reflection on ideas such as:

• how the body can be both receptive to and implicated in the sensorial handling of materials, marking time through ritualistic engagement. 

• how actions developed as drawings can often be understood as acts of territorialisation, involving issues of duration and the perceptible expenditure of energy 

• How the ritualised quality of an artist’s actions might be considered irrelevant as a performative strategy and replaced by methodologies that use wider cultural contexts as material for both drawing and performance. 

• How it might be possible to achieve 'not performing' - with all the slippage and inconsistency which that entails.