Experimentica 1.1

As part of this year's Experimentica festival (Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, UK) I am taking on the role of Hostess with the Mostess. I will be there to provide a warm Welsh welcome. Community and a sense of belonging are an enormous part of a festival's presence and being. My aim for Experimentica 1.1 is to strengthen this and to create a feeling of collectivism for both the participating artists and audience members. This may stem for my desire to belong, I am forever searching for that sense of family. I long for those student days spent at the studio discussing your work at length and moving together towards the final goal of a show.

I am not an artist who thrives well on being alone at the studio.

My ideas and work often stem from discussion, debate and an understanding which is gained through social interaction.

Please join me in creating an artist hub that will fuel the hearth of Experimentica 1.1.

N.B The previous post is a call out to those who would like to support me in the endeavour of creating this sense of community throughout the live/visual art festival.

WE NEED YOU!

EXPERIMENTICA 1.1 team are calling for enthusiastic and friendly people to volunteer for the live art festival’s Welcome Point and Reading Room.

The Welcome Point will function as a hospitable and informative space for participating artists, the Experimentica audience, and the wider public. The Reading Room will keep a variety of texts relevant to the history, theories and context of performance art. We aim to have a constant presence throughout the festival’s activity. Both spaces will enforce a strong sense of community to Experimentica and the foyer area of Chapter Arts Centre.

Your role as part of the Experimentica Family will involve answering questions, greeting people, and providing information on performances and the artists. Whilst taking care of the Reading Room your responsibilities will include looking after the books, reading and greeting people. Shifts are between 3-4 hours in length and both areas will be open from 10am- 9pm throughout the festival (Weds 12th- Sun 16th of October 2011.) Training for the volunteer post will be informal and will take place a week before Experimentica 1.1’s start date.

In return for your valuable time you will receive a free Experimentica 1.1 festival pass and refreshments during your shift. Whatever time you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

If you are interested please email Kathryn Ashill at info@kathrynashill.com, with a short introduction to yourself and state why you would like to be part of the Welcome Point/Reading Room by 1st of October 2011.

Thank You. Diolch Yn Fawr.

For more information on the festival please visit: http://www.chapter.org/24305.html

Cwtch-Stori, Milton Keynes Gallery

Performance: Kathryn Ashill from MK Gallery on Vimeo.

Mk Gallery have been archiving their videos and have recently added documentation of a performance I did in summer 2010. In Cwtch- Stori I invited strangers to sit on my lap whilst I read them Snow white and the seven dwarfs in Welsh. Sharing my bilingualism is important to me and underpins much of my practice. As a result of this I wanted to test my ability to communicate a narrative to a non Welsh speaking audience. The motherly nature of the performance was also central to the piece and participants adopted a very childlike pose.

Thank you to Luke Williams (an amazing video artist and technician at MK Gallery,) and to Mk Gallery for their support.

Pitch

Pitch is a radio programme set up by Good Cop Bad Cop, which airs every Tuesday on Cardiff Radio 98.7FM. Tune in for this Tuesdays programme as I will be discussing my latest projects and ideas on the show.

In Memory of Balloon Girl : Phase II

Preparations are well underway for the November launch of a publication and a film representation of the July performance. Please refer to the project blog for detailed updates.

Breaking the summer silence

Arriving home from my travels in late August has left me slightly disorientated. It is only now I feel I am now fully operational. Visiting the Venice Biennale this year provided me with much inspiration and I was blown away by some of the pavilions. Once back in the UK, I had to collect suitcase number two for holiday number two on the Greek Island of Santorini. The Venetians once occupied the island and there was a definite architectural link. Both were jewel like and hailed from the same pastel orientated colour palette. Belissimo!