"Τέχνη είναι η ποιότητα του τρόπου του ποιείν" (Art is the quality of the way of doing) Paul Valéry.
This is the only way I see myself involved in the arts.
Standing still and silent looking at?/to?/for? the 'other' in Robert Clark's workshop, promoted this search for quality in the doing.
The same happened when I was called to do something for/dance for (and not with) the other. A gaze , a notion, or just being fully present, promoted a way of doing.
After all, contact's (and therefore contact improvisation's) most dominant quality, stands in the presence of the body, in the 'here and now'. And Robert helped us see this in a very conrete way.Working with distance, eye contact, and emotional as well as non-emotional principles, I was left not only with the initial surprise of the moment of one movement, but actually with the surprise of the surprise; the surprise of the reaction that is.
John Paul ('s workshop) was therapeutic to me. Therapeutic to my mind, to my soul, to my practice, to my art. He made me see clear-er. And now I know, that no matter how much interesting it is to create a fiction story out of a plain practice of two people hanging on a rope (and believe me it is extremely interesting, almost seductive), I will try to hang in there , on the rope, there where the possibilities are limited, and the moments of trial and failure countless.
In the same way that in my field, although the possibilities are countless, I don't want to do anything, I don't want to perform, I have nothing to say, to produce...Can I just carry the "excess" of the work? Can I just carry the blood, the tears, the sweat, and all the non tangible? Someone has to do that job, no?
History is important. The writing of it as well. How dreadful and beautiful on the same time was to see a body dancing, and me writing a fiction story about it. Then giving it to someone else to act it out, as a set of instructions. 'Oh, my God, I created a monster' I shouted, while thanking both of the participants for letting this metaphor unfold before my eyes.
Just one thought after Michael's workshop. So, I don't forget it. The thought, not the workshop. (the workshop I will not forget).
"I would like to provide/sustain/hold a space in which creative people can be". That's it. Period. And the "Parliament" made me see that. It's all about providing a space (ok, I realize that the definition of a "space" is very important), but all the rest will happen organically. As they always do. And after that, the real work begins. When we finished today after our last 45' of moving/dancing/exploring/working (I didn't feel I was improvising at all), I thought: "This is the real work". Only this way our work "works". You need to commit, for a period of time, to this work. How would the "Parliament" work if we did it for a year, with the same group of people? I wonder, how interested would I be to do this work in Zurich. Especially after Michael said:" The next step should not be technological, it should be cultural". It made sense, especially for Zurich.
