Diaries of a Shapeshifter | Dreaming of Uranus
The journey of this work began with a commission by Transparent Presence, to create a solo performance as part of the project ‘Wings: Identities Taking Flight’. A first, short version of this piece was performed in May 2023 at Fish Factory Arts, Penryn, within an event / performance evening.
I then presented a slightly edited version of this piece at the ‘Made In Cornwall Scratch Night’ in October 2023, part of the FIA Fest 2023 run by imPOSSIBLE Producing.
I am now seeking more opportunities to keep working and developing this work, that still feels very rich in possibilities for explorations and questionings.
Coming up in the life of this work:
Residency at Space Clarence Mews, 26-31 August 2024, with a sharing at the end of the week
SOME OF THE IDEAS I AM PLAYING WITH, THAT HAVE COME INTO THE PROCESS SO FAR:
Life as a performance
A failing of doing gender and social norms and social performativity
Dressing myself up for [consciously, with awareness] failing (clown / masks). Act of getting ready for failing normativity
Plural selves - being multiple and unfixed and ever-changing
Definition of identity is about facts - but there are no facts about who I am (=fluid and everychanging!) other than I am a body
Layers of language - descriptive / factual, imaginary & possible, imaginary & impossible. Exploding language
Contradictions of experience of self & experience of self in relation to others / experience of self as being experienced by others
Experience of being a body VS experience of being seen as a body that is read according to specific norms and assumptions and associations
The simplistic and reductive ways in which bodies and people are read in binary and fixing thinking VS my experience of self being complex, multifaceted, full of differences and possibilities
Something very absurd and ironic and playful about it, and also very infuriating and frustrating and limiting and sad
Writing my own narrative of being a body
Some images from the first happening of this piece, presented at the exhibition-event ‘Wings: Identities Taking Flight’ by Transparent Presence in May 2023 (the rainbow wings visible at the back of the performance space were part of the exhibition):
