Something for Valentines Day...

How can love, distance or helplessness be created for an audience to experience?

I have been reading romance novels, trying to experience and understand how others are in love. I know these stories are highly sensationalised, but I do find it interesting the formula that these novels tend to subscribe to.

Woman and man meet. There is a strong, mutual sexual attraction, yet they hate each other at first. The man has dark curly hair, blue/grey/green eyes, a strong jaw, proud nose and muscular shoulders. The woman has a fiery mane, long golden tresses or raven black curls, darker than midnights shadow. She has a twinkle in her eye, a defiant air and a heaving bosom. She is a strong woman who snares his attention and when the crowd parts, his breath catches and his heart races and she glows, throbbing with divine light. 

So they meet on several occasions, have sex to varying degrees, use the word 'possessive' a few times and at the end of the story they get married and say 'I don't want anyone else ever except for you'. Both are lacking in self-confidence in regards to each other and are prone to irrational fits of rage when jealous.

I've read Wild West romances, Highlander romances, Medical romances, Mediterranean romances, Historical romances, Viking/Navy romances, Vampire/Alien/I've-Got-Supernatural-Powers-And-I-Love-You-Babe romances - the list goes on and on.

This image is part of an unfinished painting I've done of Fiona, where I've tried to capture the the drama of romance novel book covers. If the heroine is not looking into her lovers eyes, she is gazing to the distance, thinking of someone (perhaps someones?) far far away....

Re-thinking a hiatus

The idea for Hiatus was born out of a perceived and possibly very real hiatus I was experiencing in my art making in 2010. 2010 was also a year full of natural disasters. Watching the media report these, I paused wallowing in my hole and tried to feel something for our suffering world. That's correct, I tried to feel something. You'd think I'd have been immediately overwhelmed with empathetic sadness even anger, but no.... I FELT NOTHING. You see, for me, there was an aching gap, a hiatus that I just couldn't seem to bridge in order to identify with or relate to my friends in lands afar. 

The premier of Hiatus in May 2012 is nothing less than a bold, refulgent and POSITIVE gesture toward bridging the gap. 

A hiatus is often but NOT ALWAYS, a sad thing. 

Understand your audience (and give them imaginary chocolate)

In the Sunday Magazine, Ruth Devine recently published an article entitle How to make people listen. In 6 steps she expertly described how to "speak up and make yourself (and your needs) heard."
We were certainly inspired, especially by point 1.

Understand your audience

People won't listen unless they believe there's something in it for them. "Assume they are, at best, indifferent to you, and at worst , hostile and hungry even ravenous," advises Sydney sales guru Ciaran McGuigan. "Then overcome that by understanding who they are and what they're concerned about."

We think that you, the audience of this spectacular new performance work to premier in May, may be a bunch of lovely souls concerned about the world, love and chocolate - just as we are. 

If this is so, please raise your hand and wait for a family size block of Cadbury to fall  from above. 

Lovely.