curious
Courses
Helen Paris directs the Contemporary Performance Making MA at Brunel University. This innovative MA provides students with the space to nurture their creativity through the practical and critical exploration of contemporary multimedia performance. The course offers specialisation in directing, solo-performance and performance writing, and students can take a professional work placement/apprenticeship that allows them to develop their own project work in a professional setting. Staff members and guest artists have national and international reputations in contemporary performance. (pictured: Lindsey Price degree show 2008, Ed Venture’s Quintessentially English Tea Party, photo Fran Millican-Slater) Further course details
Leslie Hill convenes the practice-based PhD programme at the SMARTlab, University of East London. The SMARTlab Digital Media Institute supports a highly selective group of PhD researchers working in the performing arts, visual arts and technology. This groups works together live and online, with contributors from all around the world, to co-create and debate the nature of 'practice-based research' as well as pursuing their own practice based research projects. The cohort meets 'live' three times a year (in February, July, and October) for intensive one-week seminars at UEL. (pictured: strangers in the neighbourhood by Taey Kim, current practice-based PhD candidate) Further course details
Description: This course explores the connections between biology and biography in performance making. Students will explore: Autobiographical writing; creating from the inside out; working with body memory; the senses and working with smell memory; creating from family mannerisms and traits; the notion of the personal as political; using yoga and meditation as ways into and out of creativity; working with gut feelings; working with ‘flight, fight and freeze’ reactions; working with humor and the body; working with biofeedback; working sonically with the body; creating site and sense specific pieces; and creating body maps. Students will also read and discuss autobiographical texts from artists and theorists. Readings about body art, autobiography and 'sci-art' will be discussed alongside the performance-making workshops. The course will be workshop based with students doing practical work. They will also be given weekly practical assignments to be shared in class the following week. They will work towards a final performance at the end of the semester.
Targeted students: Upper level undergraduate and graduate students in dance, theatre, music, visual arts and the humanities. The course demands creative practical participation and does not therefore accept audit students.