MY IMPROVISATION PROCESS
WITNESSING, WELCOMING, SENSING, FEELING, MOVING, RELEASING, PERCEIVING...
I love this Art Form – with its own aliveness, artistic intention and transformative potential. Offering space to explore an embodied approach to Movement, Body, Mind, Place and Performance.
From my personal experiences of improvisation, I never cease to stop wondering & learning. I’ve always held a strong & inclusive conviction, that all human beings have an innate ability to nurture their own creativity... To be given the opportunity to explore freedom of expression, enjoyment and growth within that process.
The Body Talks Project embraces spontaneous creativity, somatic inquiry and imaginative vitality. I love the meandering, direct, absurd, witty, brave, non-sensical, logical, illogical, tragic, profound, beautiful, joyful, surprising, irrelevant, ranting, cheesy, awful, fragile, awkward, physically wrecked, physically revived, unique, curious illumination in all of its glorious improvised forms. Phew! Glad to get that out there!
So here I am, improvising, filming and performing with exceptional bravery, lightning speed, eloquent poetic fervour and polished technical prowess – just kidding!!! To be truthful, the whole point is that I am being present as I go along and I am completely revelling in that very process - the wondrous absorption, unfolding, shaping, dissolving, melting, spiraling, rattling, pulling, pushing, rising, waving, hovering, digging, shifting, glimmering, evolving essence & heart of improvisation. Oh how sweet it is. (& there is a lot going on!)
Currently, my artistic exploration through 'Improvisation captured on Film', is the most readily accessible medium, for consistently making, responding, recording and sharing my improvisation experiences with others. All films are unedited and imperfect, but this is as I want them to be. Therefore, they remain a direct, authentic reflection, of what is occurring/occurred at a particular moment in time.
Sometimes, I use the camera alone, for filming my solo improvisations in my home studio. I also invite an audience whilst performing/filming, ranging from one witness to a small gathering of people. This can take place within a studio/theatre space or outdoor performance context. I am aware that the experience of 'Performance Improvisation', needs an audience and is influenced and shaped by the presence of an audience. Currently, I work with an open and flexible approach, moving between 'Screen based and Live performance' contexts.
As an improvisational artist, I shape and edit my work spontaneously, moment to moment, by attending to multi sensory experience and sensations, within my physical body. I explore breath, movement, stillness, space, weight, energy, flow, timing/rhythm, form/shaping, feelings/textures, vocal sound/language, my immediate environment, imaginary characters, places/situations and personal experiences. My attention, focus, decisions and processes of making the work, are being revealed for myself and the witness/audience in real time.
I welcome 'embodied presence'. I sustain my energy and focus within my own body, so that I remain tuned in, relaxed, grounded and attending to what is happening within each moment. I am an open book for the camera/audience, but my awareness and energy remains primarily within myself. This is where the satisfaction lies.
I watch, share and reflect on performances/films with others, with a curious mind set. My improvisations are given a title on completion, as a way of archiving my experiences. I also have a vast collection of my own drawings, which reflect current states of my mind, body & environment. I enjoy writing and journaling about what presents itself on a particular day. I sometimes use photography to capture moments in time & place.
So this is me, establishing & sharing my own, restorative, embodied practice and transformative pathway for Artistic Expression. For me, Improvisation is Liberation.