CPR Associate Artists

CPR's Associate Artist scheme supports young or emergent artists in a number of ways, providing: artistic and administrative advice and mentoring; office, internet and computer facilities; studio and rehearsal resources; performance and work in progress showcasing; marketing and profile; training on CPR workshops and participation in CPR events; creation and performance opportunities in CPR productions; and the research facilities of the CPR Resource Centre.

CPR current Associates are Louise Ritchie and Gareth Llŷr (Aberystwyth) and Anushiye Yarnell(Cardiff).

CPR Foundry Artist in Residence
CPR Foundry Artist in Residence Winter 2007
In association with Safle (Formerly/yn gynt Public Arts Wales/Clef Gyhoeddus Cymru)
To inaugurate our new home and ‘laboratory' - The Foundry - CPR, Vivien Mousdell will be joining CPR for an eight-week residency. Vivien has been invited to respond and engage with the new building and the activities and events of The Foundry's first programme as well as to respond and engage with the wealth of material in the CPR Resource Centre and Archive, that will culminate in a traveling ‘exhibition'.

For further information on Vivien's work and interests please see the following link -

Vivien_Mousdell.rtf

Gareth Llŷr and Louise Ritchie [2008]

On Running

  
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On Running

Both Louise and Gareth recently completed an MA in Practising Performance at the department of Performance Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth. Louise recently performed her solo piece ‘My Tarantino’ at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, and Gareth will also be performing his debut solo work at Chapter at the end of August.

On Running is their first independent collaborative work. They have used this opportunity to explore some conceptual ideas which they now intend to develop into a full piece, to present as part of a CPR event in November 2007

On Running is an attempt to explore the physical and textual possibilities offered by using the simple action of running as a starting point to create physical work. Although concerns regarding physicality remain important, we are also interested in narratives that are suggested by running itself. When two people run, it brings into question from what are they running away from and to where?

On Running was originally developed as a 10-minute piece for a performance platform organised by Welsh Independent Dance at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. We used this opportunity to develop some basic conceptual and scenographic notions, and to investigate different methods of accumulating material for performance.

Based on the simple action of running, the piece currently consists of improvised physical movement which is stimulated by three different sources:

- Visual: edited video footage of a specific journey
- Audio: an edited spoken description of the same journey, originally recorded simultaneously with the video footage at site
- The movement of the other performer within the performance space

It is the seemingly innocuous action of running that has led us to question that when a person runs, is their journey one that lengthens the distance between the figure and their starting point, or is it one that shortens the distance between the figure and their destination? Are they running away from something, or running towards it? In On Running, this is further complicated by the presence of a second runner moving in tandem. Narratives begin to emerge as the two bodies pass through various landscapes, offering moments of separation and unity. Boundaries between the interchangeable roles of leader and follower are blurred as the two figures move to a point of collision that potentially unravels any supposed narrative.

Plans for Development

Having tested the ideas in practice, our intention is to now develop the piece into a fuller 45-minute work, building upon the concepts which we have begun to explore. What we currently posses is a fully-realised starting point; a dense, vigorous and conceptually rigid 10-minute model. With this in mind, we have outlined a number of key intentions:

- We envision two different journeys being relayed simultaneously, using topographical elements of two contrasting landscapes to inform the movement of each performer.
- We are both interested in assumed narratives that emerge from the image of one man following one woman, or one woman following one man. Working with this relationship and resisting such suppositions, our intention is to explore the possibility of alternative narratives.
- We are interested in how physically demanding improvised work may be sustained within an extended time frame, and the limits and potentials of such performance practices.

Further information on Gareth Llŷr and Louise Ritchie's work at CPR can also be found in these files:
Profile_for_CPR.doc | |


(To read an Adobe PDF file you will need to have a copy of Adobe Acrobat on your computer. Download a free copy of this programme from Adobe at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Previous Centre for Performance Research resident artists have been archived. Click on their names to view their projects

• Animal Love - Anushiye Yarnell: resident artist in 2007
• CPR Associate Artist - Ailsa Richardson: resident artist in 2005