Thursday 27 February 2014

Charcoal Movement-The physicality of drawing – Charlie Ford


15th-22nd February
Arts Depot Gallery
North Finchley, London

Visual Art isn’t always seen as the most accessible art form. However, over a week long period Arts Depot’s gallery has been transformed from a sparse blank canvas into its first interactive studio forum, where those who come to see not only get to be witness to the creation and development of a work but also get the opportunity to be creative alongside the artist.


Charlie Ford, a former fine arts student and recent dance studies graduate, has merged the mediums of art and movement to conceive a concept, which through the use of charcoal, graphite and other fine art materials ‘documents, preserves and recalls sensations of the body in improvised motion’. Creating new ideas about the creativity of the body and physicality of ‘mark making’, Ford has finely tuned elements of the separate art forms achieving unique collages of abstract ‘marks’.

Ford spends an hour on and an hour off, culminating in a four -hour day moving and drawing on one large canvas. He absorbs his audiences in a creative journey where his focus is solely on exploring what his motion can achieve on paper. What is interesting is that the dynamics of Ford's improvised movement, in collaboration with his emotional agenda, clearly dictates the shape, texture and continuity of design.


Fully immersed in his work, he is no less part of the canvas than the black chalky lines that he imprints. His focus and energy creates a meditative atmosphere for himself and for his onlookers, yet he is happy to be approached by the curious audience, removing the boundaries between his practice and performance.

Surrounding Ford’s own workspace is a number of smaller slate boards, allowing the public the opportunity to have their own physical experience; an element that on both days that I attended the performance was as impressing to the adults as it was to the abundance of enthusiastic little artists, many of who were eager to imitate Ford's approach.

A highly accessible exhibition with beautiful outcomes displayed at the end of each day. More exhibitions like this could really be key to getting more people- the young ones especially- moving and creating.


 By Bryony Cooper

Thursday 20 February 2014

'Women’s Tales'- Ieva Kuniskis at Resolution! 2014- Review

6th February 2014
Robin Howard Theatre
The Place, London 



A window into the lives of four long-lived women is how Ieva Kuniskis’s most recent choreographic masterpiece can be described. Though with a similar quirk to her previous work Gone to Get Milk (plant pots, torn paper and hair washing replace oranges for instance), Women’s Tales seems to have much more depth and heart to it; a heaviness that lurks but that doesn’t depress.  

Perched on a bench, Rachel Burn is the first to begin unraveling her story. Repetitively tangled in her long, finely tuned, slightly double jointed (?) arms, she seems ever so slightly retained; helpless to the point that even hearty Helen Aschauer insists on bathing her long locks for her.





Padurariu Andreea, (the actress among the group) on the contrary, seems somewhat content in her world. On a chair in the background she sits for much of the piece tearing up paper, a metaphor maybe for something or someone that’s better off forgotten. And then as she leaves the chair and begins an enticing interaction, the window is removed from its frame and she draws us in a little closer.

Victoria Winter is an intriguing one, placid and secretive but her subtleness speaks volumes. And if they were playing the dysfunctional family that at times they look like they could well be, then Helen would be the older sister- troubled and feisty.    

Kuniskis has created a collage of pure satisfaction. Each story insightfully presented, and overlapped with such perfection that there are some real moments of magic. An array of earthly toned, simple dresses and skirts adds a dated feel to this small cluster of women, and the Lithuanian folk music which in part they come to sing, a real sense of community. 

Women’s Tales is a great piece of theatre, simple, well constructed and relatable, but with still enough mystery to allow us to ponder.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Resolution!-'Threshold'- Rachel Burn

                                  

The Place, Robin Howard Theatre 
Thursday 29th January
By Bryony Cooper



My third outing to Resolution! And I have to say that what it has offered so far hasn’t been overly impressing. In fact I’m baffled as to how some of the artists have been deemed 'the best in ‘emerging’… until seeing Rachel Burn’s Threshold.




Set on the blank canvas of a black space, Threshold leaks all of the delicacies, intricacies and power that its inspiration- the poetry of Walt Whitman- employs. Clad in a variety of black dresses, three females (including Burn herself due to a last minute injured dancer) journey around the space and each other twisting turning and rolling, creating a multitude of densely textured group sections, duets and solos.

A particular highlight is when Burn takes up position on the back of Anna Pearce, who maintains a sturdy base on the floor. A long stretch of white material that Burn wears with elegance hides Pearce and allows us the visual of a seemingly levitating figure. Mesmerizing is Burns confident and enticing gaze, along with a few subtle gestures that are repeated from earlier on.


Threshold is powerful, detailed and intriguing, and is complimented beautifully by collaborator Renu Hossain’s varied musical composition.