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.

Some departing words...

Follow love and it will flee, flee love and it will follow. Gain strength, courage, and confidence by looking fear in the face and say to yourself, swim in circles in a large fantasy world but don't waste energy! Face life now! Remain faithful when nobody's looking, endure pain when the room is empty and bravely stand alone when you're misunderstood. 

Inspired

I am inspired by that which is conceivably not ‘up for grabs’ as inspiration. I am inspired by disaster. Please hear me out or rather, please hear out the following words of Rourke (The experience of Being inspired, 1984) which may help you to understand how I dare to be so quietly inappropriate.

The experience of being inspired enters one’s awareness with the recognition of a vital force or power…One feels at home, where one has been out of control, able to act, a sense of being empowered…

The power is impelling. It moves or drives the inspired person toward a certain goal. It presses for action. It incites new ideas. It urges one to embrace its cause. The power is so compelling. It demands the total attention of the inspired person. It commands absorption in the moment of its emergence. It leaves the inspired person with a “must,” a “have to,” a “pressure.”

The felt-illumination integrates in such a manner that one feels directed. The sense is that of seeing what one must do, knowing how to do it, and having the will to carry it through. One feels like a runner on a definite course who has no doubt that the race will be finished because one is running on a mysterious or spiritual inner strength.

The Score

even though there isn't a score there is...
run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to run in the studio for an indefinite period of time playing awake, not glazing over or fixing and doing it in such a way that you stay interested. When you notice that you have failed in these latter points just notice this and keep doing what you can to renew the intention to ...
(July 2011, Rehearsal notes)

Dancers are runners in disguise

This morning I was walking along Brunswick Street here in Melbourne, quite deeply contemplating Hiatus and the photo shoot we are planning for this Sunday. How in images might the work be indicated or suggested without limiting the potential for it to significantly evolve in the coming months? Contemplating this question my gaze was repeatedly being drawn to an approaching runner. Even at a distance he seemed interesting, familiar even. Sure enough, as he passed I recognised him to be a fellow dancer. Not too surprised, in fact quite comforted, I waved him on his way. I say I was comforted as seeing this dancer running seemed to further confirm my sense that; many dancers run, enjoy it, are good at it and even consider it a vital part of their practice.
It's all about the labels really. What we call ourselves and our actions. I mean, these dancers running may very well be runners dancing or dancers dancing as they stride left foot then right, rhythmically inhaling and exhaling and enjoying the exhilaration of getting the blood pumping.

Question: Do you consider yourself a runner? A dancer? A bit of both or something else all together?