Backwards Thinking@ EXPERIMENTICA 2012: Unseen/Anweledig

As part of Experimentica festival this year Sam Hasler and I are organising a set of events that are specifically aimed at engagement and contextualisation. This includes a festival hub and reading area, large blackboards with information and responses, text in the festival brochure and  discussion events.

The whole set of events is framed under a title of 'Backwards Thinking'. This is a light joke about philistinism, an encouragement to 'reflect' and also to start from a clean slate. Not to suppose we already know everything about performance art or such things. This title has also provided us a little amount of space to play with mirror writing and role reversals.

For more information on Experimentica 2012 visit:
http://www.chapter.org/28459.html

For information on artist Sam Hasler;
http://www.samuelhasler.co.uk/

BARN Magazine Article November 2012

Journalist Lowri Haf Cooke has written a very well informed article about the work I made in New York a month ago. Lowri travelled the whole way to witness the new performance piece and research my residency at Flux Factory. The article explores my own ideas on my new body of work 'For Future Reference...' whilst also touching on Lowri's own perspective on what took place during the performance in NYC. I am grateful to Lowri and BARN for daring to write so intelligently about contemporary performance art from Wales.

To read the article/ I ddarllen yr erthygl:
http://lowrihafcooke.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/erthygl-barn-ddoe-heddiw-ac-yfory-celfyddyd-kathryn-ashill/

For more information about BARN Magaizine/ Am rhagor o wybodaeth am gylchgrawn BARN:
http://www.cylchgrawnbarn.com/

Images of Mother Time (a Momento Mori) performance @ Artes Mundi

Photo Credit: Melissa Hinkin

Duration of performance: 20mins

Action: Close eyes. Hold a travel clock in each palm. Count from 1-600 in Welsh.

The performance Mother Time took place on November the 1st at Teresa Margolles' installation in the National Museum of Wales. My work was created in direct response to the themes of death, time and memorial in the Mexican artists work. I shut my eyes and focused on the difficulty of reaching high numbers in my native tongue. I had imagined beforehand that as it was a simple and durational action that the audience would move around, leave and return. Once I reached 600, I opened my eyes and was shocked that everyone had stayed with me, patiently waiting for me to reach my goal. I ended the performance by approaching each audience member, handing them a drawing, and whispering 'momento mori (remember you will die) in their ear.

This performance has been filmed by artist Matt Cook, and it will be shown at the Critical Mass Symposium at the museum in December. Watch this space!

MOTHER TIME (a Memento Mori) 01.11.2012, 13:00-13:30, National Museum of Wales Cardiff

A new work by Kathryn Ashill which explores our relationship to time. MOTHER TIME is a performance that will be taking place on the Mexican Day of the Dead and has been created in order for Ashill to explore the emotive themes within Mexican artist Teresa Margolles' work for the Artes Mundi5 exhibition. MOTHER TIME has been commissioned by Artes Mundi5 as part of the ongoing Thursday Lunchtime Events.

Also as part of this event families are welcome to join the drop in Day of the Dead craft workshop. Throughout the day we will be inviting children and families to contribute to the Dia De Muertos (Day of the Dead) shrine, make skull masks and orange marigolds in celebration of this iconic festival. Join in between 10AM-4.15PM. ALL WELCOME

Perfformiad newydd gan Kathryn Ashill. Croeso i bawb x

http://artesmundi.org/en/news/whats-on-artes-mundi/

Reading around the subject of Time and Death. Reasearch

Artes Mundi5 have commissioned a new performance work from me that will engage and respond to ideas within Theresa Margolles' work. I have been deeply moved by her work since witnessing the daily ritual that took place in the Mexico Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2009. At 4pm daily an attendant mopped the floors of the gallery space with the blood and water from Mexican murder victims. This evocative action was sensitive and highly charged. The controversy and poetics of washing ones national space with the remains of its unlawfully killed victims is such a strong statement. I feel privileged to be able to make a work in response to her ideas of time and death.

I have been amazed by the Death issue for this weeks New Scientist- I cant recommend it enough. Its more anthropological than scientific, and has sparked shed loads of ideas. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman is furthering my understanding of time, and ways in which we experience it.

My performance 'Mother Time (a Memento mori)'  takes place at the Artes Mundi5 exhibition, in Margolles' space on 01.11.2012 at 1.05pm.

For Future Reference... Palm Project I, Artes Mundi Education PV. 16.10.2012

 Following on from my work at Flux Factory in New York, I am now focusing on different narratives of my future. I was commissioned by the National Museum of Wales to make work for the Artes Mundi Education private view. 'For Future Reference...Palm Project 1' participants were invited to read my palm and my fortune using a simple 'How To' guide. The aim of this performance was to encourage the educators to see performance as an educational tool. A lot of the teachers and visitors thought it was a good way of getting pupils to discuss their future. One English teacher is also going to use it as a way of exploring the prophecy scene in Macbeth to her class. I hope to continue this performance and make a longer version. As with my previous work themes of intimacy and touch are explored through the reading of a palm.
 

Future Target, Fri 05.10.2012, Flux Factory New York

Photocredit: Freya Dooley

Future Target

Duration: 1 hour

A large amount of polished Amethyst stones are placed on the sidewalk.

I invite passers by to throw Amethyst at me.

I wait.

People throw the purple stones at me.

I gather the stones in my sweater and move into the gallery space.

I stop at an image of me visiting a psychic in NY in October 2012.

I stop at an image of me visiting a psychic in NY in October 2012.

Below these pictures of me and the psychic are her predictions for me.

I throw the Amethyst at the 2007 prediction.

After a while, I stop hurling the stones and resume the first action.

The stones hurt as they land on me.