Working in landscapes
SheWolf work begins when I arrive in a new place. Projects are born out of a desire to build a deeper connection to the places that I find myself in. More than just a geographical mapping or knowing of an area, working through the voice and body, my projects (re)inhabit and (re)awaken storied landscapes (internal and external).
I begin by spending time in a landscape. This listening experience offers creative inspiration, and a deeper understanding of the landscapes movements. I use this initial encounter to then generate 'process scores for site', simple instructions, a frame to freely improvise in whilst working on site.
My next step is to begin to improvise physically and vocally, thereafter, whilst still onsite, documenting the experience through creative writing as well as capturing field recordings of the site. This embodied writing then informs the creation of 'performance scores for film', more complex scores which not only direct how the work is captured through film but later inform how I edit the work in collaboration with filmmakers. The resources I generate on site are also shared with a musician, someone whose musical tradition reflects the landscape. Together we compose and record a song/piece of music for each landscape immersion, responding directly to my intimate encounter with site.
Switching from Performer to Artistic Director, and working with the same filmmaker, who captures the work my final task is to guide the edit. The original 'performance scores for film' and musical compositions steer my selection of material, whilst my lived experience of pain/disability, in dialogue with emergent environmental/climate narratives, shape the final work.