20 Jan 2013

DIY 9 - Being At The Edge






















In particular  “being at the edge” means a lot to me. Despite now living and working in Cornwall I arrived in Britain from a very different type of culture that has always made me feel as though I am inhabiting a different space. It excites me to discover new landscapes and spaces that allow me to differentiate myself from the very different place that I left behind. I am therefore conscious of being an ‘outsider’ – being ‘on the edge’.  The way you describe this similar quality of Cornwall makes me yearn to discover how I might find different ways to connect with the Cornish landscape and it’s history.

The overtly masculine and authoritarian place that I left forbids some private feelings, which is perhaps why my practice leads me towards trying to find my personal boundaries and permissible social edges.
Mining also has a particular resonance for me as many times I have considered how mining poses a metaphor for my process, which tries to dig deeply into the hard and difficult subjects I encounter.
I am particularly interested in sexual histories and sexual energies within a place or particular context. The exclusively male environment of the mines implies a potent masculine sexuality that I would like to explore in this instance.

http://www.zierlecarterliveart.com



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12 Jan 2013

Vital Somatic Functions




Vital Somatic functions shows a figure sitting in stillness, surrounded by external and inner thoughts of movement. It illustrates those moments of  relaxation or meditation when objects and subjects collapse on each other in our body and mind.
This short film was inspired S.Freud’s frequent use of the word somatic in describing sexuality and issues of the body.
The Night-lights, which appear, are framed with a zoom. Shot from a distance the lights no longer look like night-lights but take on a different quality, suggesting to the viewer that they could be vital embryos or somatic cells. The Night-lights show how our lives combine with external elements to give an inner sense of somatic. By appearing and disappearing in the dark background, the lights create a space that can symbolize different functions from both history and the present.
After a few seconds the transitions continue with a scene that layers together boiling eggs and a forest of trees. These two elements provide a metaphor for the coming together of mind and body and private and public space. The woodland also suggests how within these spaces we can both search and discover.
Eggs are a natural food and are used in all cultures of cooking. I use them specifically because they are the symbol of continuity for future creatures, both human and animal. They are the best product for human life.
The film also shows the body in the shower. This scene provokes questions as to whether it is the cleansing of the body from memories of the past or everyday pollution or the mind from guilt or even getting ready for pleasures.
Vital somatic functions are a multi-layered film with scenes that I hope provoke many various readings.
I recorded these images over the period of a year in different places and at different times during my daily life. I played with a variety of footage to create this film. They are; night-lights in Istanbul, Walking through a woodland, Boiling eggs, a man (figure) having a shower and a film taken of the artist during a session of hypnosis and meditation.
All the scenes are brought together with a soundtrack recorded on the London underground.

1 Jan 2013

Paper People







This was a performance that reflected the ethos of the Diamond Jubilee of celebrating and connecting people both regionally and nationally. A two hour durational performance that took place in Chapel Gallery, Gulval, Penzance during the Private View on Thursday 31st May 2012.

Ann Haycock and Ilker Cinarel, along with the audience worked with paper cut outs of templates shaped in the form of person's made from The Cornishman and National newspapers. The Template chains were attached to helium balloons and allowed to float up to the ceiling.

Research based on liminality and the wish of making a performance that celebrated the national celebration was fundamental to production of this Live Event.