Home residency & first sharing

It's February 2021, the first week on our collaboration and new work research is behind. When lockdown started, started also two things I wanted to explore more. One was my own artistic development research and the other one a new work idea that I already started to explore. Now beginning of this year I worked on January on my own artistic development research, which I will share on my reflections time on first week on March. Had also reflections chats with my working partner Thabo Mokolobate as well interviewed 9 other artists from different countries. Thabo Mokolobate is also my collaboration partner in the New Work idea I have been looking into. During January we have shared our Social Distance Engagement Survey as well in many places. Which we have got answers around 93 at the moment! We have been feeling so lucky and blessed to hear from so many people around the globe!!

With these survey answers we started to do our own research for this New Work Idea, on how we can engage with audience through online platform and dive into further lives during pandemic. Using spoken words and dance/movement.

Our week was interesting and fruitful, it was emotional to read the survey answers and I felt really heavy after that. But then it all just spiked the energy levels up! Because this just shows now even more we need something different for people to experience out in this crazy period that we all are experiencing.

Our week had some challenges as well... Like connection issues. But that was something we both knew we might have. So we had plan b on how to work as well. I am working from Finland at the moment, after coming here on Christmas seems it is hard to travel back in UK... So I decided to stay here to finish this research. Because in here I can also have extra help inside the house if I need any. In Scotland it would be harder now. Thabo is in South Africa and things are harder that side as well. But we keep find gin ways on how to work forward. We are seeing this research also more chance to develop our working tools together through online platform. We have been working year ago another piece called Beautiful Chaos 20 together from two different countries. So this isn't anything new to us, but it is given us now chance to explore further on our working methods together

We are also interested to research on early stage of the creation how this work can engage with audience. And for that reason we are having residency sharing each week on Saturdays 4 pm UK time. 6th of February 2021 we had our first sharing. Both had many questions and were excited to see what can happen and what they will feel. We showed few little tasks we have been exploring that week and had after that Q&A session.

For us it was really fruitful to hear their comments and hear what they felt. Gave a lot for the second week to work on.

Here is few their feedback:

What did you experienced from 6th of February sharing?

"Felt that I saw people who had felt some of what I had felt during lockdown...missing people, freedoms removed, having to use our spaces more creatively to manage these changes."

"Loved hearing the comments from the other participants and Pirita and Thabo's reply to the questions."

"Thoughtful dance and words." "Coming in as a shadow and exiting as one in part 1, inside a square and trapped, the tortoise/tortured body/escape. The hands have a genetic imprint of our past lives. We are in the link of wandering ghosts. The embrace, murmuration of birds, fluttering and twittering and the seductiveness of the dance to join in with the joy!!!! St. VITUS rules!!! I felt ALIVE!!!"

Would you recommend to your friend to join our sharings & Why?

Yes...was lovely to spend time afterwards listening to others’ thoughts on the performances. This is something I miss about attending live theatre - the “what did that mean?” “Why did that happen?” “Did you see...?” etc Yes - it was thought-provoking and some images have stayed with me and some words too. Yes, because seeing young artists working, evolving, engaging.

Thank you to all participants who attended Week 1 Home Virtual Residency Engagement on 06/02/21.

Now next sharing will be next Saturday 4 pm UK time. Free. Just fill up the survey and you will get the invitation email. Click here to the Social Distance Engagement Survey.

Till the next week! Be safe there!