14 minute read
Activities
Research Residencies | Interchange | Labs and Workshops | Discourse
Independent choreographic artists and responding to their requests are at the centre of all we do. The Responsive Program emphasises the value of risk–taking for future choreographic development and seeks to give choreographers an opportunity to innovate their practices in an environment that promotes open discovery and experimentation. The program encourages self–directed and collaborative proposals that reflect the particular interests and goals of participating artists. Artists come from far and near, and work with us at partners spaces across NSW, nationally and internationally. We have many artists working at the Drill throughout the year engaged in research on their own artistic practice. In the corner of the building (next to the kitchen), our Research Room artists work away exploring their ideas, reading, writing and inviting conversation.
In 2019 Critical Path delivered, often in partnership, often responding directly to or led by artist’s passions and areas of concern as well as needs;
ANTHROPOCENE RESEARCH PROJECT
We began the year with our wider reaching Anthropocene Research Project, whose research strand gave Rosalind Crisp the opportunity to build on her research residency March 2016, this led directly into presentations at Artlands 2018 and Dance Massive 2019. Alongside this the Choreo Hack Lab (see Labs below) and Out of the Lab residencies took forward research areas with Dean Walsh, Henrietta Baird, Ivey Wawn and Sarah Pini.
CENTRAL WEST WITH BMEC AND CEMENTA
Our NSW regional partnerships also fed our research work, in Central West following on from a 2018 caravan exploration (Bathurst, to Orange to Cowra) Susan Barling was invited to consider her next steps in relating to local ‘place’ with her practice, subsequently take some early research steps on an idea based on a costume housed at Kandos Museum. Artist Rakini Devi who had facilitated the caravan took the opportunity to reflect on her experience.
Further to these two Central West regionally connected artists undertook two-week residencies in partnership with BMEC and Cementa. Artists were selected from previous partnership activity with BMEC and Critical Path - Alison Plevey and Susan Barling identified research areas they wished to push forward in the regional context. Alison explored ‘the Dry’ engaging with local political actions and her family’s farming experience. Susan made local artists connections to create a sharing presentation with Central West musicians and textile artists as part of Cementa 2019.
Central West - Alison Plevey, Credit Pandora Holliday
DANCING CITY / SYDNEY - ARCHIVE PROJECT
Our archive project, an ongoing partnership with UNSW and University of Sydney continued with artists Julie-Anne Long and Kay Armstrong considering the archiving of their body of work.. Rakini Devi took her 2018 archive research further with Karl Offord, exploring her body as archive through an exploration of past works, Body As Archive. She extended this through CP’s studio exchange with Catapult. Rakini spent two weeks at Catapult’s space in Newcastle. Catapult identified artists Allie Graham and Skip Willcox spent a week at the Drill and shared their current research project, with the work of Bob Fosse as a starting point.
The final tranche of our archive project 2019-20 Dancing Sydney: Dancing Histories, supported by the City of Sydney, started with Narelle Benjamin working at home exploring her ‘recorded’ archive and in the studio with her daughter, dancer Milo Benjamin, sharing her embodied archive.
Credit Narelle Benjamin
In the fourth annual iteration of Critical Path’s joint Residency for Experimental Choreography with Performance Space, Ivey Wawn undertook research in relation to a new work In Perpetuity investigating the demands of capital on bodies, human and non-human. In her residency Ivey explored a system of sensual stimulants through scent, sound, vision and physical inputs designed to “thicken the present in an attempt at liberating bodily labour and finding new value in sensation, joy and magic”.
SPACE TO FAIL
Space To Fail Vancouver, initiated a new partnership between Critical Path and Adam Hayward/Hyde Productions (New Zealand / Aotearoa) & Dance Centre Vancouver to provide space for international exchange. The driver for this collaboration was to offer artists space for an exchange of ideas to be based on process and not on product, where risk and ‘failure’ were invited as part of the process. This first phase was a five artists lab in Vancouver; Australians Alice Webber and Tim Derbyshire participated. Alongside this program CP offered a First Nations Australian artist-curator a bursary to participate at Dance in Vancouver, selected artist was Mariaa Randall.
“It was a good example of Critical Path engaging in cross-cultural and cross-partner dialogues, which I had not experienced on an international level before. It was a privilege to be part of these connections, which generate international critical dialogue and strive to aid the artists in activating experimental frameworks and initiatives.”
- Tim Darbyshire
RESPONSIVE RESEARCH RESIDENCIES
Research residencies responding directly to artist requests were offered to six artists, with a range of durations and approaches.
SUE HEALEY
In her Responsive Residency, choreographer Sue Healey delved into the current states of play; in the microcosm of her Sydney kitchen and more globally in the current Trumpian Dystopia. This exploration through movement and image making related to five notions: receptivity to what is around us, working within limitations, awareness and attention to detail, movement in confined spaces and, in contrast, movement in vast open spaces. Her residency included time at the UNSW Animation Lab, in partnership with the Creative Practice Lab, UNSW.
KRISTINA CHAN WITH DONNA SGRO AND CLARE BRITTON
Kristina Chan, Donna Sgro (experimental fashion designer) and Clare Britton (visual artist and designer) researched the integration of the choreographed body and textiles. Developing visual and spatial outcomes that speak to environmental change, this research stems from Kristina’s dance making practice related to causality, impermanence and transformation.
KIRK PAGE AND JADE DEWI TYAS TUNGGAL
Kirk Page and Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal spent time at Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) and the Drill asking what is the pivotal role of smoke in spiritual health – landscape, body and ritual. The research explores Indigenous approaches to wisdom and how to revive vitality, burning off the physical waste and promote finding new pathways together.
Credit Kirk Page
WEIZEN HO WITH JOSHUA PETHER
WeiZen with Joshua drew on stories, experiences and imagination on how ceremonies from traditional societies set up space as a way of accessing their sensitivities. Through using the concept of Transmission, they investigated the body as a transmittable medium and walking archive (albeit scrambled) of the fragmented past, present and future.
Credit Critical Path
MATTHEW DAY
Matthew Day excavated the existing catalogue of choreographic scores, rehearsal notes, and archival records of Figures for Landscapes. While in residence at Critical Path Matthew interrogated what is at stake when a performance work is continually adapting itself to its context and environment.
MARTIN DEL AMO WITH KRISTINA CHAN, DAVID HUGGINS, MIRANDA WHEEN AND SHIH PEARSON
Martin Del Amo conducted research into the choreographic potential of the trio form. His collaborators were dancers Kristina Chan, David Huggins and Miranda Wheen, as well as Justine Shih Pearson in the role of research consultant.
Credit Paul Walker
RESEARCH ROOM RESIDENCIES
Alongside these a number of space-only and Research Room residencies took place with artists Ivey Wawn, Jasmin Sheppard, Renata Commisso, Joel Bray, Jill Corvisier, Luke Pell and Nick Power. Critical Path also offered Open Studio space for urgent research and development at short notice.
Open Studio: Adrina Petrosian, Credit Adrina Petrosian
ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER - ADELINA LARSSON
Adelina is researching her Swedish cultural heritage and in particular looking at the folklore, dance and music tradition from the village of her father and grandparents called Färila which is a village of about 500 inhabitants in the province of Ljusdal (north east Sweden).
INTERCHANGE
Critical Path’s Interchange project facilitated a series of research projects with International artists.
PEPA UBERA (UK)
Ongoing partnership with Dance4 UK, biennial artist visit. In previous visits artists have run workshops, set up conversations, connected with other locations.
CATHY LIVEMORE (NZ) WITH ERIC AVERY
Cathy and Eric spent a week, exploring ideas around water and the relationship of their traditional practices and beliefs to the creation of new forms of ritual engagement. They opened up their studio during the week to outside artists.
JAHRA WASASALA (NZ) WITH AMRITA HEPI
Jahra and Amrita had a week looking together at their collaborative practice with each other. This was an important opportunity to reflect on this relationship outside of making time. They opened up this exploration through a workshop for other artists.
BYSTROM KALLBLAD (SWE) WITH ADELINA LARSSON
Helena Bystrom and Anna Kallblad explored the idea of what it would mean to re-imagine their recent site-based project City Horses in Australia.
MARIA NURMELA & KALLE ROPPENON (FIN) WITH RENAE SHADLER
Maria and Kalle, came to Dance Massive and subsequently spent time in Sydney exploring their Susurrus research. Renae and Maria then went on Supercell to connect with practitioners there and to lead a workshop.
EDDIE LADD (UK - WALES) WITH JACOB BOEHME
It was agreed that a digital residency experiment would test opportunities for the artists’ future joint working as well as help CP explore the idea of international residencies without long-distance travel.
CHOREO-HACK LAB: THE ANTHROPOCENE
Back at the start of 2019 our Choreo-Hack lab: The Anthropocene invited five choreographers into a research space with practitioners from other disciplines. Artists selected were Dean Walsh, Henrietta Baird, Ivey Wawn, Jodie McNeilly-Renaudie and Sarah Pini. Partnership with MAAS, UTS, Strange Attractor. Out of the lab research took this research onto next steps for each of the artists.
INFORM #3
INFORM #3 was a Regional training collaboration with NORPA (Northern Rivers, NSW). This third collaborative workshop-lab was led by Alexandra Harrison with a guest regional NSW artist Lee Pemberton – Northern Rivers practitioners explored choreography, place and the environment.
Credit Hamish McCormick
WOMEN’S WORK
Women’s Work group gatherings & workshops supported senior female creatives to exchange and share their practice. What challenges do senior female choreographers face? This conversation between choreographic artists celebrated older women working in dance and introduced audiences, through a public talk, a workshop for young people and video content, to the process, practice and achievements of artists, encouraging different ways of looking at the creative work they produce. Regional artist Lee Pemberton received a bursary to support her connection to this Sydney based Activity.
PYT LAB
PYT lab exploring the space for different movement practices in our culture - ‘Why This Is Art’. 4 artists come together to consider how movement/choreographic practice sits in relation to contemporary art contexts; Elian Motu, Maria Tran, Larissa McGowan with facilitator Victoria Hunt.
ARTICULATING PRACTICE
In the Articulating Practice Workshop First Nations Australian Artists explored and shared where they find themselves in their practice now, their connections and responsibilities to community, and considered how they represent their work (in text, image and when speaking about it) along with what they communicate with others. Finally, they looked at how they can support each other to take their respective practices forward. Participating artists; Adrienne Semmens (supported by The Mill’s Engage program), Henrietta Baird, Jasmin Shepard, Tahnee Arnold. Guest artists; Matthew Doyle and Vicki Van Hout. This project was developed in partnership with Blakdance.
BITS RESIDENCY
BITS Residency saw NSW producer/ curators come together for three days of reflection and encounters at Bundanon. Drawn from City, Western Sydney and Regional contexts they were invited to consider their own practice and their place in supporting and nurturing the dance sector.
Credit Sally Chessell
ANTHROPOCENE RESEARCH PROJECT
Once more back to Critical Path’s Anthropocene Research Project. In January we held in partnership with Strange Attractor and MAAS, supported by the Anthropocene Transition Project a public talk between Dr Astrida Neimanis (Dept Gender and Cultural Studies, Uni Syd) and Kenneth McLeod (Research associate, UTS Business School) facilitated by independent artist and scholar Dr Rebecca Conroy.
At the end of the lab a number of the participants of the Choreo-Hack shared some of the ideas and issues they had been grappling with. A subsequent conversation at 107 Projects led by Sydney Environment Institute took forward conversations with some of the artists in the lab.
CRITICAL DIALOGUES
Critical Dialogues Issue 11 Edition 1 & 2 took forward this area of the Anthropocene. Edition 1 Hacking the Anthropocene was guest edited by Bec Conway and featured lab artists as well as Astrida Neimanis. Edition 2 led by the CP team, project lead Tamar Kelly, followed up Kenneth McLeod alongside local and international artists Feeling the Anthropocene.
STARTERS
Blacktown ‘STARTERS’ was a project with Blacktown Arts Centre inviting Julie-Anne Long, Brian Fuarta, Taree Sansbury and Anna Kuroda to share their experiences and memories in starting out in dance. This informal sharing event with food invited a different performer/audience relationship. This project was followed up with an artist meeting and an extended-time residency for Anna Kuroda with regular space at the Leo Kelly Arts Centre and a bursary.
Credit Lux Eterna
PARRAMATTA ARTIST LAB
Critical Path responded to a request to partner with Parramatta Artist Lab in hosting visiting poet and dance artist Tishani Doshi from India with a public talk chaired by Amrita Hepi.
IMPACT - LOOKING BACK TO THE FUTURE
In our Impact activity Critical Path took on the task of looking back and tracking activity in different ways into the future. We took forward work to track CP artists past & present to future outcomes; with invitations to reflect and re-consider the impact of development and research projects/processes. This included artist led interviews, Rhiannon Newton with past Responsive Research participants and a narrative questionnaire to past Associate Artist Paul Gazzola.
DIGITAL DRILL - A DIGITAL HALL
Our 2019 digital project – Digital Drill was a research phase around what a digital choreographic space might be. Following completion of a consultation by Portable digital specialists, Critical Path took forward a series of digital experiments which fed into a digital iteration of our Interchange Festival. Working with artists Matthew Doyle, Charemaine Seet, Margie Medlin and Choy Ka Fai we invited each artist to create a way to open up their work using the digital space and in the digital space. Some of these processes initiated in 2019 will have outcomes continuing into 2020.
DELVING INTO DANCE
An exciting partnership with online project Delving into Dance in 2019 gave Critical Path the chance to commission 12 artists to create some form of online text on the subject of Why Dance Matters Now. These 12 new dialogue works will be available to the public in 2020.
SHARINGS
Supported activity at Critical Path’s Sydney space included artist-initiated projects offering their peers the chance to present new ideas and collaborations. 2019 activity included First Run led by Brooke Stamp with Rhiannon Newton and On the Cusp led by Karen Kerkhoven. We also opened our doors to sharings, workshops, invitations to join artists in their studio process across the program, determined by the needs of the participating artists and their work.
On the Cusp, Credit Shawny House
AND+
CP Director Claire Hicks is part of the Asian Network for Dance core group. Their second meeting took place around Dance Massive in March 2019 taking forward conversations on dance across Asia and engage in public activity.
CREATIVE RESPONSE TO THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Finally, in 2019 we started an exploration around a Creative Response to the Climate Emergency with guest facilitator Pippa Bailey. Critical Path asked its team, its board of directors and our community of artists what this might mean. You can see the question in some of the explorations above. It is the start of a conversation that we will need to take forward in 2020.
“The experience has been intense, raw, confronting moments when life and art intersected in shocking and painful ways. It was profoundly supportive to have the NORPA studio and then the Drill Hall as places of cultural creativity, supporting arrival, concentration, focus and deep exploration during such a big energy time…”
