Our second Lumsden Residency artist of 2019 is Romy Danielewicz, whose performance and writing-based practice looks at post-human perspectives, ecological and systemic breakdown. During Romy’s residency they devised a workshop drawing on ancient farming methods and the cyclical farming calendar. With the students at Lumsden Primary School, they collectively developed movements and routines based on these actions towards a collaborative dance score.
Below, Romy shares some drawings and words from the workshop. Romy will return to SSW in November this year to share some outcomes of these workshops with Lumsden Primary School students at our 40th anniversary celebrations.
(Outfield)
An artist fills gaps in her education
Winnowing with a sieve
Chaff chaff chaff
Scare birds all throughout spring
Sow and plough twice-yearly
Shear sheep once
Felt tips the colour of: rust and lavender
Are very much in use, the arrows
Point clockwise
Starting at the at the hip, ending at the wrist
On a Sunday in an empty studio
She plays all the parts
For now
(In a circle)
Eight students, eighteen movements
A time machine is of course
Involved
A farm to run for an entire year
Tasks favoured and those
Less so
Coaxing history out of the classroom
We try and fail to really think
Of mid-13th C.
The students know so much more
About the wool and how
It’s pulled
learning occurs
(Trampolining)
The entire plan
goes out the window
We dig with energy but hesitate
before the harvest, hay or wheat
scythe or sickle
Last minute reinforcements
come in the form of felt tips
there is a break in which everyone
draws sheep
And when it’s warm, what should
we collect: berries or firewood
cards in cereal boxes
After several readjustments, we arrive
and squish elderflower
it is performed
The late season is for birthdays
we both like trampolining
and flossing
dabbing or flossing?
It is winter and the choreography
is really quite immaculate
we feel –
upstaged by the sun
Read more about Romy’s practice on their website.
Read about the first Lumsden Residency of 2019 with Coral Brookes.
