Invisible Drawings: GREY AREA: May 2013

Natalie Adams (UK) Christine Cheung (CAN) Arianna Rodeghiero (IT) and WOOGURU (KR) Videographer: Florian Klein (DE)
24 April – 05 May 2013

During our residency at L’Atelier we explored, together with dance collaborators Arianna Rodeghiero (IT) and WOOGURU (KR), the relationships within body, gesture, sound and visual production.

Over the course of ten days, we employed elementary materials such as industrial iron plates, rope, salt, chalk and charcoal, and used the gallery space as pictorial surfaces through drawing and dance. Here patterns begin to emerge in terms of sound, observation, echo and erasure as well as gestural relationships. Through large-scale artworks, video and sound installation, fragments of performative gestures and live actions, we improvised mark-making and body movement. The public was invited to observe past and on-going performances; the realms of drawing and dancing became blurred.

Thanks to Florian Klein for documenting and creating this video:

Invisible Drawing GREY AREA - The Process from Florian Ben Graziano Klein on Vimeo.

Installation, photo: Judith Lavagna and bpigs

Installation shot, photo: Natalie Adams

Hand piece, WOOGURU and Cheung, photo: Judith Lavagna

The dancer moves with his hand and the painter periodically follows the gesture and timing of the dancer.

Echo piece, Natalie Adams, WOOGURU, Arianna Rodeghiero and Christine Cheung,

All face away from the drawing on the wall and are unable to see the result. The drawer responded to each dancer as they improvised movements, either through copying their gestures or through the echoing of their action. The dancers responded to the sound of the drawing materials.

Sound piece, WOOGURU and Christine Cheung

Photos: bpigs and Judith Lavagna

WOOGURU (KR) improvises bodily movement on iron platse with his feet. Mics underneath the plates amplify the sound. The drawer responds by improvised drawing on the plate with chalk, and also produces sounds. The dancer sometimes responds to these marks and the drawer.

Who we Are

Invisible Drawings: GREY AREA is a process-based, social experiment that aims to connect artistic practices across disciplines, nationalities and backgrounds within the fields of drawing and performance.

Using commonplace materials, public spaces and private spaces are utilized; the action of production becomes as important as the drawing itself. Spontaneity and improvisation are the methods of exploration in the creation of objects as well as ephemeral works.

Using Eastern philosophy and ink painting as a departure point, our references include Trisha Brown, the Fluxus and the Japanese Gutai movement, Joseph Beuys' social sculpture or gesamtkunstwerk, amoung others. This project provides a space for reimagining and recontextualizing Western art practices and their relation to Eastern thought such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism etc. At the moment, we seek to find a meeting point in which the transposition of the environment through the artist, whether through the medium of painting or dance, can be combined together.

Video documentation can be seen here:
https://vimeo.com/user7139546

The project was initially part of an ongoing exploration by visual artist Christine Cheung, (CAN) (www.christinecheung.ca/) which began with an Invisible Drawings workshop for Struts Gallery in Sackville, NB Canada, Collaborators include performance artist, Natalie Adams (UK) (natalieadams.org.uk), and dancers, Arianna Rodeghiero (IT) (vimeo.com/user8687699) WOOGURU (KR) (vimeo.com/user11302414) and Benjamin Martin (UK) (benjaminmartinimpressions.com)

Invisible Drawings: GREY AREA has been featured in BPIGS, Berlin Art Link and Uppercase Magazine.

For more information, contact info(@)christinecheung.ca

Christine Cheung is an artist living in Berlin.Born and raised in Calgary, Canada, Ms. Cheung is a recipient of the Joseph Beuys Scholarship at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Canada and numerous grants and awards. Her work is shown internationally, including as part of the permanent collection of the Sørlandet Art Museum in Norway. Drawing inspiration from the environment around her, she has visited more than ten countries in Europe, Asia and North America. She has been featured on CBC Radio, the Globe and Mail and Kunst magazine for her images of unsettled landscape, imagined spaces and memories from the past.

Natalie Adams is an interdisciplinary artist and performer currently living and working in London. Her work focuses on the use of performance and improvisation within film and site specific art. Born in Bristol, Adams began performing through youth projects and theatre workshops. In 2009, she graduated from the University of Winchester with a degree in Performance. During this time, she co-founded SeedSew, a performance art company based at The Point, Eastleigh.

Residency, Performances and Workshop at L'atelier Kunst Spiel Raum as part of Month of Performance

The dancer moves with his hand and the painter periodically follows the gesture and timing of the dancer.