Objects & Movement, collaborative workshops with hospice patients

The aim of this session  (2/3 at the hospice) was to explore movement in relation to an object, as a way of bringing different awareness to an everyday object, beyond its function.

We used an exercise "Conversations with An Object" p117 from Body Space Image: Notes Towards Improvisation and Performance by Miranda Tufnell and Chris Crickmay as inspiration for a group warm up exercise. This involved improvising a movement or action as we passed a cup between us without using words. We investigated function, material, surface reflection, the object in motion and body shape in relation to the object. These improvisations grew to consider the physical transition or handing over as the object passed between one person to the next. This was really inventive and continued for about 15 minutes.

We had a video by Ivo Dimchev based around Franz West's objects as a possible example to show, but felt we didn't need this after such a good warm up process.

The session progressed to working in pairs and improvising movements in relation to a glass vase and a round fish bowl, chosen at the last session by the two people we were working with. The emphasis was on gesture or shape rather than 'doing' something with the object.

Through a process of doing we came to realise that the scale of our improvised movements where determined by the size of the objects we were working with, as we were seated at a table with only so much that we could reach. Also, a continuation of a group exercise, rather than breaking off into pairs, might have offered a bit more freedom to fully explore the range of what was possible.

Adaptives, Franz West

Movement & Space, collaborative movement workshop with hospice patients

The third workshop (3/3) focused on movement in space in relation to the architectural space and furniture within it. The intention was to explore whether by moving through space with a different intention we experienced the room differently?

We each took turns to make three shapes within the room and repeated this three times. We took turns to re-enact each other's sequence of actions, through a process of remembering and improvising what wasn't remembered. We then returned to our own sequence and simultaneously 'performed' this together, negotiating the points where our paths crossed as they occurred. We experimented using a metronome to unify our movements. It was a really enjoyable and playful session with lots of laughter.

At the end we had a quick look at Trio A by Yvonne Rainer as this resonated closely with the simple range of repeated movements we had been working with during the session.

Trio A, Yvonne Rainer

There's a lot of potential to develop the range of movements we came up with, particularly at the points where our paths crossed, to consider structures for unifying the floor space as a compositional tool and with regards to tempo. 

We came across a choreographic toolkit D-Lab: a Virtual Commons for Choreography and Collaboration by Dance Exchange in association with Liz Lerman. This is a really useful toolkit.

collaborative movement workshop with hospice patients

A collaborative performance making process with patients attending day services at the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice, led by Kirsty and Steven. 3 workshops will take place in January 2016.

Patients are invited to explore and develop simple movement in relation to another person, to objects and to architectural space. Video is used to mediate people's perception of their own body and to encourage experimentation. It is also used as a reflective tool to support awareness of the body as an expressive medium, as well as a sensing being. 

Yvonne Rainer's Hand Movie (1966) is used to demonstrate how small everyday movement can be choreographed to create a 'dance'.

Rainer's first film, Hand Movie, was shot by fellow dancer William Davis when Rainer was confined to a hospital bed, recovering from major surgery and unable to dance.