Masterclass with Andreji Zholdak

Was awarded a bursary to attend this workshop, conveniently timed for the TaPRA conference in Leeds.

ANDRIY ZHOLDAK IGNORES THE PRINCIPLES OF DRAMA  

I made it through one day of the workshop. Was mistakenly under the impression that he was more of a visual performance maker, like Kantor, but turns out his philosophy is building off the Stanislavski-Meyerhold-Grotowski tradition, of which I suppose he sees himself as the continuum. If you are into that kind of actor tradition then this is for you. 

That totally contradicted my experience the day before performing at Schloss Lüntenbeck (see review of that on next posting). Though I felt bad about it, I withdrew from the workshop and decided to attend the TaPRA conference instead (more on that as well). 

On Zholdak...

As far as I could see grasp the one day I was in the workshop, his director-actor interrelation completely seems to mimick a rather traditional Sado-Masochist relationship, where he is the Dom/Director and the trainee is the Sub/Actor. According to Zholdak the actor enters into an agreement with him at which point he renders him/herself completely. The only thing Zholdak cannot do is physically hurt them or have sex with them, as per this agreement. It is at this point that the actor becomes the director's dog...Literally. As he stated, often part of his training has been keeping actors in kennels, wearing leads, eating and existing on all fours, chasing sticks and this for days at a time. As he sees it, it through the director hating the actor, destroying the actor, killing the actor that he can show him more love than he ever could otherwise. For those of you familiar with the psychology of a true S&M relationship, there are the obvious parallels. I suppose there is some master/servant in all of us. But as that is not my artistic or emotional interest, I found it a bit disconcerting. Plus I was on a spiritual high from the show in Germany and this just did not match that.

There were people though with obvious interest in being, or becoming, the dog. Like I said not for me but surely works for others... Live and let live

Schloss Lüntenbeck

Aug. 31st Lüntenbeck Castle, I will be performing with Lotos Collective in collaboration with Annette Schulze Lohoff.   

http://www.schloss-luentenbeck.de

New Tattoo

Now continue reading:

Aristophanes praise of Love, from Plato's Symposium 360 B.C.E..

I was asked to do a reading at my friends wedding (as Man of Honour) and freely edited a translation into this wee morsel on love, enjoy:

 

In the beginning there was a being that was part man, part woman, and part the union of the two.

This primeval being was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking opposite ways.

As a single being their might and strength were so strong that they dared to scale heaven, creating fear amongst the gods.

Doubt reigned in the celestial councils. Should they annihilate them, as they had done with the giants, but then there would be an end to the worship which men offered to them;

But then Zeus discovered a way. With his thunderbolts he cut them in two, like an apple which is halved, in order that they be diminished in strength yet increased in numbers.

As he cut them one after another, he asked Apollo to give the half face and neck a turn in order that the new beings might contemplate the section of themselves they had just lost: thus learning a lesson of humility. 

After the division the two parts of the being, each desiring the other half, came together, and throwing their arms about one another, entwined in mutual embraces, longing to grow into one again. So ancient is the desire of one another, reuniting and making one of two, thus healing the state of being.

Each of us when separated are always looking for our other half. And when one of them meets with the other half, the actual half of themselves, the pair are lost in an amazement of Love and friendship and intimacy, and would not be out of the other's sight, even for a moment. These are the people who pass their whole lives together; yet they could not explain what they desire of one another.

If the god of fire Hephaestus arrives to the reunited Lovers and says to them, "What do you mortals want of one another?" they would be unable to explain.

And if in seeing their perplexity he questioned them further: "Do you desire to be completely one; always day and night to be in one another's company? for if this is what you desire, I am ready to weld you into one and let you grow together, so that being two you shall become one for the rest of your lives. Is this the kind of Love you wish?

There is not one of them who when they heard the proposal would deny the possiblity of melting into one, the very expression of their most ancient need. This reuniting of two becoming the whole once again is the culmination of Love leading us in this life back to our own nature, and giving us high hopes for the future.  

This is Artistophanes discourse of Love…

Awarded the Helen Schackleton Fund

This will kick-start post-production on the Ghana doc and hopefully get me to my new live art project (of undisclosed location)   

The Helen Shackleton Fund was established in 2003 following the death of Mr WHJ Richardson. Mr Richardson bequeathed the fund in memory of his late wife neé Constance Helen Rickards Shackleton. Miss Shackleton was a graduate of the College in circa 1929 and died just a few weeks after being married to Mr Richardson in 1943. The fund will be used to support undergraduate or postgraduate students in their studies, usually as a bursary to contribute towards the costs of foreign travel connected to their academic work.

Waterfalls and Shotcrete

Keeping busy (and paying rent) building a series of caves and waterfalls for a new miniature golf site in Wimbledon...  Ahh the joy of shooting concrete from a hose on to mad rebar sculptures.... If you ever need a waterfall and a cave in your garden I’m your man....

Set Build for Ten Men magazine shoot

Built large precarious wood sculptures a few weeks back for photographer Jacob Sutton and Set Designer Hana Al-Sayed. It was nice to drive out to a barn in the Cotswalds and work al fresco, though it was a manure barn and frankly back-breaking work... 

There was a lovely bull to keep me company though so I do have a new friend in the countryside...  

Ghana Radio Programme on Resonance 104.4FM

Production under way to develop the 2 radio sessions that will present Youth Visions on London’s airways. Working in collaboration with Resonance engineer Patrick Furness currently to develop the programming... 

Stay tuned for airing dates   

Listen to Resonance FM here: http://resonancefm.com/listen

Lotos Workshop

Lotos ran a 1-hour workshop where participants were invited to decipher the narratives locked in the objects found at Turnkey Manor. The workshop was run by a virtual moderator whilst Rag and Bone, two characters from the manor house enaged the participants...

Objects of Engagement Conference

Co-organised: Objects of Engagement Conference for emerging scholars and practitioners, at Royal Holloway, University of London.... To keep the buzz going the blog with the conference info will be opened up to anyone seeking to contribute.   

Check it out: http://objectsofengagement.blogspot.com/

Youth Visions - Documentary Post-Production

Autumn 2008: Post-production of documentary Youth Visions: Transforming Our Futures Together, shot whilst in residency in Bolgatanga and Kongo, Ghana - West Africa.

See more pictures here: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camusartink