During my upcoming performance at UnDegUn (following a Lost Library workshop at Ty Pawb on 24th November) the using of my body as first absorption of questions feels right and connected to my slow and physical essence.

Video: The Lost Library call for participants

Becoming more connected and aware of my physical responses to questions, might enable me to understand things on a different level.

The kinaesthetic approach as a way of learning is well documented and I’ll apply it to understanding questions posed.    In learning anything I have to be very active in getting to grips with material.  This may be universal…?

I was wearing stripes in my Lost Library costume to signify mime artists and silence, but this effect is watered down especially by the recent fashion for black and white stripes.  Yet I do not need to lose the stripes completely, the jacket needs to be adapted for bodily movement – I’ll put stretch material at the seems to allow a fuller range of movements when wearing it.

I think I now need to tune the costume into myself more – perhaps a cream polo neck (goes with the cream typed words, membership cards and registration forms in the performance) and (stretch) green velvet bottoms, perhaps ragged at the bottom.

What I’ve described above reads ‘lost’ more to me.

I used to wear polo necks a fair bit as a teenager and I now notice this is the same colour scheme as what I wore for a College Art Girls charity calendar back in 2005, which I’ve dug out and to my delight, found my old artist statement:

‘I find the more I learn about Art (in the broadest sense of the word), the greater my appetite becomes for knowledge.  I pay particular attention to thinking beyond the surface of people and objects, not to judge but to look beyond the obvious.

It’s good to leave room for personal interpretation of paintings, and Paul Klee’s work often leaves us with unanswered questions, about this he said “Do we need to know everything? I don’t really think so,” And I agree.’

The other evening I heard Fearghus ó Conchúir, who’s recently been appointed to the Arts Council of Ireland, talk about his life and work and he mentioned something one of his Oxford professor’s said when he mentioned his plans to work outside academia:

For knowledge to grow you need to take it into another environment.

Which is so true and something I’m going to ponder, as it needs deeper thought.


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