Tasmania

RESIDENCY AT CRADLE MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS GALLERY (2)

| cdgsham

Here are some more photos from my work around Cradle Mountain during the second week of my residency at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery in October:

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My focus was on developing my ideas around prepared turntables and projections in a site-specific context, often outdoors in the National Park. This was challenging creatively, logistically, and physically, but ultimately rewarding. I felt I had many victories, and the setbacks were all instructive. It was also interesting to find that the act of walking through natural surroundings alone felt like a large part of the creative process for me.

The fruits of this time will hopefully be shared with others in future performances, and have already influenced performances I’ve recently done in Japan.

Residency at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery (1)

| cdgsham

I’ve been here at Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery for 5 days now, approaching the half-way mark of 2 week stay. Below is some media of things I’ve done here so far. It’s been an invigorating experience so far, trying to interact with the environment (not easy, lots of rain so far, but the coming few days looks a lot clearer), and enjoying having massive galleries and a workroom at my disposal. It’s proving to be an intensive for developing new work, with ideas coming thick and fast. Sometimes the nature of a particular project idea changes dramatically over the course of a day/night, sometimes even over a few hours.

The Cradle Mountain National Park is an incredible place, and spending time in it (even without instruments, etc) I feel is an important part of my creative process.

I feel certain that my time here, and in Tasmania generally, will bear fruit for months and years to come in my output.

GUIDELINES TO SELF FOR SITE-SPECIFIC WORK

| cdgsham

DSC02531

  1. Plan your site visits – access, equipment, clothing – but be prepared for all plans to go out the window. The nature of site-specificity demands improvisation in all facets
  2. Be determined. Cannot access a site? Try another way in. Warning signs saying no entry? Well, if you are not bothering anyone, or damaging anything, go for it.
  3. I’m all for public space performance, but not in residential areas. Respect residents (human and animal) who may be bothered by your activities.
  4. If you are going somewhere remote, or potentially dangerous, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, for safety reasons.
  5. In the dark, drive/walk slowly. Take your time. Don’t fall over and hurt yourself. Scout locations thoroughly during daylight hours, look for hazards as well as potential sites of interest.
  6. Think about how you will transport your equipment to the sites you intend to visit. Will a car get in? I’m using a backpack and a small wheelie suitcase, along with several small bags with shoulder straps. An old towel or tarp is invaluable for wet ground and sudden rain.
  7. On site, don’t leave your equipment scattered around. Keep it in the one place. It’s very easy to lose and forget things in the dark.
  8. No matter if you forget/lose/break equipment/recording devices, all that is ultimately required is for you to be present in the site.