The Gaze – a term describing the act of seeing and being seen. Our event on Thursday 21 November explores identity, gender and The Gaze, bringing together female, non-binary and queer artists for an evening of performance art and new collaborations. Read on to learn about our artists, our curator Lola de la Mata and what you can expect from the evening.
Lola de la Mata
Curating the evening is Nonclassical Associate composer Lola de la Mata. Much of Lola’s work explores the idea of space and physicality in sound and performance and often integrates video, electronics and performance art. A keen collaborator, Lola frequently works with a diverse range of contemporary artists. This night is no exception, as it challenges the notion of a one-directional concert experience, with music, installations and video colliding all across the space.
As well as curating the night, Lola will also have two of her works performed – her cello work Sway, performed by Nonclassical artist Cecilia Bignall, and I’ll show YOU my G String, a protest piece addressing misogynist culture in the live music scene, performed by Lola de la Mata herself alongside Riccardo T.
Jennifer Walshe + Neil Luck
Bewildering, absurd and at times amusing, Jennifer Walshe is a composer and performer whose music is deeply rooted in the physical, theatrical and visual or – as she puts it – ‘the ear, the eye and the brain are expected to be active and engaged.’ Her work ranges from Barbie dolls and ensemble in XXX_LIVE_NUDE_GIRLS !!!, to forming an art collective of 12 alter egos in Grúpat. More recently, she created a fake history of the Avant-Garde in Ireland in which she made up scores, artefacts and histories of fictional characters.
Similarly her collaborator for this performance, Neil Luck, creates equally visually and aurally intriguing work. From mundane objects to bizarre props, Neil’s work – as he puts it – ‘attempts to frame the act of music making as something curious, or weird, or useful, or spectacular in and of itself.’
This will be Jennifer and Neil’s first collaboration, where they’ll be ‘dredging gnomic readings of real and artificial matter from new and old worlds, deep audio files and personal belongings.’
milker.org
neilluck.com
Antonio Branco + Riccardo T
Capturing both the beautiful and bizarre, Antonio Branco and Riccardo T are a performance art duo who use the body to explore all manners of stark subjects relating to sex, gender and society. They’ll be performing their work Q-Hubris – a performance art piece that explores the contrast between superior and submissive behaviour – and Glitter Dicks, a work that is as explicit as it sounds.
Read more about Q-Hubris>>
antonioandriccardo.com
Cecilia Bignall
Cellist and composer Cecilia Bignall has performed extensively as a soloist and chamber musician across the UK and Europe. Widely known for her work in the contemporary music scene, Cecilia is a frequent performer in London’s new music ensembles and a member of Trio Derazey, Duo Bayanello and Mosaic. She’s also a Nonclassical artist, and is featured in our Outside the Lines #2 release.
Cecilia will be performing a reimagining of Lola de la Mata’s Sway, a new version for cello solo from its original scoring for three cellos.
Phoebe Collings-James
Described as ‘intentionally messy and sprawling,’ Phoebe Collings-James’ work is strikingly individual and wildly varied. Phoebe’s artistic style is incredibly versatile, using video, ceramics and canvas to portray her statement pieces addressing oppression, revolution and representation. Mother Tongue, Mother Master features Phoebe’s face covered in a red net and bells, representing binding of the artist’s voice, constraining the body and its histories.
phoebecollingsjames.com
Sissy Fatigue (Feat. Olivia Norris + Bully Fae Collins)
Mess, resistance and absurdity: Olivia Norris’ work as a dance and visual artist embodies thinking outside of the box. With much of her work centred around dark humour, female rage and vulnerability, her use of jarring imagery and abstract subject matter is both unsettling and hypnotic. On the night, you’ll see a screening of Sissy Fatigue – a collaborative work with musician Bully Fae Collins, Oscar Oldershaw, Joseph Campbell, Jackie Pratt and Gonnerheous Reese – a colourful and unsettling commentary on contemporary femininity and fetishized female blondeness.
