During my Arts Tasmania residency at All That We Are, I have been working with plaster body casting as a form of self-portraiture alongside enjoying my daily movement practice, each unencumbered by the necessity to contextualise or rationalise for an outcome.
My day to day rhythms become fluid, when I have enough compassion and wisdom to flow without judgement theres a delightful oscillation between doing and not doing. There’s a lot of thinking, writing, reading, drawing, walking the South Arm coast lines, cooking and eating at any time of day, theres been roaring fires and pitiful flames, loud rain and incandescent sun. I play music and drink coffee all day, attempt to furiously complete admin work so I can be present. I interrupt myself constantly, but trust that what ever I do has relevance to whatever personal/artistic process that’s calling.
This residency has provided important time and space for self enquiry, which I find deeply valuable both personally and artistically. There is an addictive quality to the confrontation of working solo, theres no hiding from yourself, sometimes it hurts, often it’s hilarious and theres always something in your psyche pushing to the surface, worthy of unpacking if you’re willing to dive in.
Working with plaster casting is time consuming, the stillness is physically enduring and a little painful - patience and pragmatism are necessary, I’m not naturally patient. Posing naked on cold concrete, holding mostly still while my hands work calmly and quickly to dress, drape and stroke the plaster into solidification. I pre-set tools (bucket of water, pre-cut plaster pieces, scissors, towels) within reach and rehearse the casting choreography. Distal areas of the body before proximal. I begin fresh and keen, when I extract myself I am irritated and cramping. As a cast progresses movement becomes more limited and casting increasingly difficult. The limitations require problem solving and have spurred interesting reflections. I question my desire to do this alone because an assistant or collaborator would make the process immeasurably simpler. But I know that simplicity and ease is not my goal. It’s intimate, beautiful and messy. The casts chose their own trajectory and results are always different to how I imagine.
In contrast, my daily dance practice has revolved around endorphins and catharsis. Opposing the stillness, patience and planning required to create body casts. I improvisation to music that brings me joy, for fitness and pleasure.
In this context, casting and dancing seem like separate research, though they have served to balance out my days. Both practices are forms of self-documentation and expression. Casting creates a tangible representation of the body, a small historical monument - an ‘objectified’ body. Dancing for catharsis and pleasure is an ephemeral process that documents the moment as well as feelings, desires and memories - an ‘experiential’ body.
