"Moments: Revisited’ explores the remnants of memory, the different sensations and emotions that we experience in our lives and what they mean to us, as individuals and fundamentally, as people.
These moments affect the dancers in different ways leading to interactions and relationships between each of them as well as with the audience. Moments emerge and are explored; coming together and falling away like a series of threads. Until eventually, we find the stray end…”
In 2015, we had the opportunity to take the piece to the V&A Museum in London and perform it in the Rafael Gallery as part of their annual performance festival. We also performed as part of Cloud Dance Festival at The New Diorama Theatre.
With our first successful Arts Council England funding application in late 2015, this led to development of the work and a 2016 tour of performances and workshops at:
Teesside University
St Helen's Central Library
The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh
Testing Ground 3 at Conway Hall in London (performance)
Riverside School, Orpington (workshop)
A workshop for Exim Dance Company's youth company, ADAPT in Plymouth
Choreography: Kimberley Harvey in collaboration with the dancers.
Dancers: Kimberley Harvey, Kitty Fedorec, Robert Hesp
Including music composed by Garry Scott James
The collaboration between Kimberley Harvey and Hamish MacPherson came about through the Metal Changemakers programme (which was curated by Dr. Kate Marsh)
We came together as a result of being on the first Changemakers Lab up in Peterborough in April 2017.
We realised that there were overlaps in the themes and underlying interests, but we were also intrigued by each other's approaches. We embarked on this work by following our own separate but related research enquiries into holding (Kimberley) and care (Hamish) respectively coming together periodically at METAL Peterborough and back in London
We are intrigued as to what our practices can bring to each other. The collaborative research is ‘process-driven' – an investment into our artistic practices, feeding our own curiosities and always being relevant to what is ‘current’ for each us. Therefore, we like the fact that the research is always happening. This means that, although we will spend time apart in London, our ongoing work can (and will) still inform our meetings, conversations; and then, feed back in to our time in Peterborough when we are in the studio together.
Our collaboration is ongoing.
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About Hamish:
Hamish is a London-based artist who uses ideas and methods from choreography and dance to think about philosophy and politics. He has made made performances, workshops, publications, non-digital games, and other things in artistic, academic and community contexts.
Dear Potential Audience Member,
I invite you to come and sit with me amongst letters as I attempt to write…write something…write THAT letter…
Words emerge and stories unfold through layers of intricate movement, crumpling paper and failed attempts. Movement and writing combine as the paper and my skin become interchangeable textures; more surfaces for the pen to write on. Tactility and fragility meet sparks of robustness as I find ways to articulate those unwritten letters and explore where I might be holding them.
What do those parts of me have to say?
What will you hear?
What would you write?
‘Inky Matter’ is a solo inspired by letters – yes, the ones we have written and received, but also those that remain unwritten. The letters that we can’t, won’t or never quite get round to writing…what happens to them?
Choreographer/Performer: Kimberley Harvey
Dramaturg: Lou Cope
Original music by composer and musician, Garry Scott James.
Images: Roswitha Chesher (images 1, 3, 4 & 6), Rebecca Carter (images 2 & 5)
Inky Matter has been gratefully supported by South East Dance’s Collaborate programme (2016-17), Arts Council England (March 2018-November 2019) – Teesside University, Metal in Peterborough, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Dance4 and Attenborough Arts Centre.
Processes connected to Inky Matter:
Alongside the performance of Inky Matter, I devise and facilitate inclusive dance workshops that explore the creative themes and materials of the solo work. As a dance artist (with a disability myself), I aim to make the work accessible to children/young people and adults, both disabled and non-disabled. Through the workshops participants explore different possibilities for self-expression through a combination of movement, mark-making and writing.
As part of Inky Matter’s work to date, I have facilitated workshops for a variety of ages (so far, from 5 years old and upwards) and for different time periods – from a single two-hour session; a four day residency; or a weekly session that happens over an eight week term. The workshops give participants an insight into ‘Inky Matter’, but they also create and generate content that influences and features in the performance that follows later. Therefore, each performance of ‘Inky Matter’ varies slightly; and is influenced by and adapts to the audience it meets and the setting it finds itself in.
As a dance artist I have always wanted to do more with dance on film, so towards the end of 2015 I decided to see if I could make something happen…
The first thing to do was to find another dance artist who I wanted to work with. I am pleased to say that this was not a tricky decision - I have known Andrew Graham for several years now as we both have an association with Candoco Dance Company, Andrew, as a company dancer and me, as Candoco Artist. Despite this, we had never really had much of an opportunity to move together and both of us were curious as to what could happen.
For me, I really wanted this to be a collaboration between us to see what both Andrew and I could bring to this as dance artists, and as people; and then to see what would emerge when you put both of us together in space. We wanted to work with what interested us, what ‘dance desires’ we had and ultimately, to have a good time doing it!
Play and discovery followed as we figured out who we were together and what movement vocabulary we wanted to work with.
How were we meeting each other?
How were we most connected?
How could we fulfil our own and facilitate each other’s ‘dance desires’?
Asking questions of each other and not being frightened to take risks.
We were very fortunate in that we worked with the very talented Anthony Graham and Kristian Craven to create the film. The collaborative process continued as we worked with the filmmakers as it was important to Andrew and I that they too would have creative input and a sense of ownership in the film.
I really value working in this way as you get to learn and experience so much from those who you are working alongside. Everyone has different skills, areas of expertise and their own individual opinions and perceptions. But what is then fascinating is when these individuals come together to create something where they have some fundamental joint understanding, which enables everyone to feel valued, fulfilled by and ‘a part of’ something. This was definitely the case for me with ‘On the Tip of My Tongue’ and I very much hope it was the same for Andrew, Anthony and Kristian too.
We are very proud that ‘On The Tip Of My Tongue’ was shown at Candoco Dance Company’s Friday Late Night Spectacular at The Wellcome Collection (6 May 2016).
It was also shown as part of Tipperary Dance Platform in Ireland and as part of 40NORTH Dance Film Festival in San Diego, USA in October 2016. In 2017, it was shown as part of ‘Inclusion to Partnership’ exhibition in Jerusalem.
‘What do you crave? Considering what we crave in order to formulate and inform who we are, as well as our perceptions of the relationships we form with other people.’
Subtle Kraft Co.’s work ‘Cravings of Intimacy & Solitude’ debuted at Resolution! 2012. The piece was reworked in the spring and then went on to performed in a variety of venues and spaces (including, The Roundhouse in London and Theatre Clwydd in Wales)
The piece was choreographed and performed by Kimberley Harvey and Anna Bergström. Music by Garry James Smith and photography and filming by Roswitha Chesher.
“Two dancers, an intimate setting and audience.
A relationship is created in front of your eyes from close proximity, near misses, adjustments and responses. How does touch (or lack of it) become a marker of how a relationship develops and what is the nature of this relationship?
Why is it that when we are deprived of one thing, everything else becomes so prominent, so important?”.
The dancers and audience both wonder if touch will come.
Left to unfold before them in that place, in that moment.“
Dancers: Kimberley Harvey & Robert Hesp
First performed as part of Sensored Festival at Contact Theatre in Manchester, Subtle Kraft Co. collaborated with composer, Jose Puello who created a score in response to the dancers working together. However, Jose was also interested in the deprivation of sound. So, as part of the audience would see everything, but equipped with ear defenders and ear plugs, would hear very little. Thus, leaving them receptive to sound vibrations and the heightened state of their other senses…
The duet was reworked and performed again in March 2016 as part of Swallowsfeet Festival at The Old Market Theatre down in Brighton.
Curated and produced by Swallowsfeet Collective @swall0watweet
Before ‘Inky Matter’ existed, there was #ProjectLetters, which was the open callout on social media for people to write to me. They could write to me about anything they wanted, the only rule was that the letter had to be handwritten. And I promised I would reply!
Over 18 months, I received over 36 letters.
With each letter written as part of #ProjectLetters, I captured some kind of image of it on my phone.
These letters that people kindly wrote to me; along with my own pieces of writing, my own letters and some related quotes form the basis of my set for the solo performance of ‘Inky Matter’.
