Hannah Nicklin

My Dad and Stories

Verbatim, straight from the transcription of the conversation I had with my father for the scratch performance of the same name I’m working up this weekend and 2 days next week for the Little Festival of Everything. Slightly more info on this previous blog post.

“But otherwise I think the only way that you can have a big impact if by changing people’s views, by actually getting hold of their heart and squeezing it and saying; look at this. And I think as you say, it’s having the story that triggers the emotion in the individual, which then says ‘yeah, that’s not right, we need to change this’. Because you won’t get, there’s too many pressures on people, and I think this is where capitalism wins through most of the time; there’s too many pressures on people to stand out, to stand up, to say ‘no’, and I think by doing what you’re doing in terms of the stories, you know okay you can only get some people but that can make a big difference, than, you know, you as an individual amongst 200-300,000 people making a lot of noise down the street.”

Other Projects

Deep in the middle of Umbrella Project goings on at the moment (small reflections and links to follow) but just wanted to post about a couple of very exciting things I’m doing (almost straight) after (gulp).

The first is my first more traditional performance piece in a good few years. A small work in progress for an audience of 8-10 (due to venue size, I’m sure it will scale eventually) at the Flanagan Collective’s ‘Little Festival of Everything’. #Littlefest (all donation based ticketing) will be taking over the Fauconberg Arms in Coxwold, North Yorks, and a lot of the villagers’ homes, too, and filling the pub and surrounds with around 100 pieces of art&performance. Ace. I’ll be joining people like Rash Dash, Belt Up, Pilot, Chris Thorpe and loads others to present a piece I’ll be working in for about 4 days prior. A Conversation with my Father.

Here’s the copy (I suck at copy)

An early work in progress born out of a conversation between an ex-policeman and his protestor daughter. A conversation about fear, grey areas, them and us, duty, and standing up to protect what you think matters. An intimate piece for a small audience at a very early stage of development, please come, watch, and offer feedback.

It’s on 6 times over 2 days, and will probably involve video or projection of some kind. Maybe just sound. I’m not sure. I’m filming a conversation with my father on the 7^th, and basically working something up from there. Hopefully it’s going to be pretty interesting, and is kind of addressed at both sides of the fence, protestors and non protesting public/police officers. More of a question about the fence in the first place, really. WATCH THIS SPACE. And come to Yorkshire for the weekend to see it.

The other super exciting and slightly unnerving (that’s how I like my life) thing I’m doing is a collaboration with the BRILLIANT Nikki Pugh. Who is the person who’s going to teach me to hack and solder properly. One of these days. You may or may not have noted that we’ve been working on a Splacist manifesto – well MADE have invited Nikki to lead (I think I’m helping) a workshop on the manifesto, and commissioned us both to work on our first practice-as-response to it, which is free to come and see/do (though ticketed, head here for more info)

Copy wot I did not write, and is therefore far superior:

Who are the Splacists? Will introduce the context for, and development of, the Splacist manifesto as well as reporting findings from the What are the Splacists? activities conducted earlier in the day. There will also be an opportunity to experience work developed in collaboration between artists Nikki Pugh and Hannah Nicklin. This work has been commissioned by MADE as part of Learning Spaces Living Places 2 and represents the first in direct response to the manifesto. The evening event is your chance to experience it first-hand and be a part of it.

Splacism is a contemporary mode of practice proposed by Paul Conneally. A new set of ideologies defined by Hannah Nicklin and Nikki Pugh. A hop, skip and a jump away from phsychogeography and the works of the situationist international. Think space, place and splice. Developed empirically by whoever’s interested.

Both really exciting things to lead up to Christmas, which I fear may have to be the point at which things settle down a bit and I spend 7 months or so actually finishing my PhD. Hm.

Edinburgh: Last Days

An image of Third Angel’s Pills for Modern Living installation at Edgelands.

I find that I only really want to comment on a couple of the shows that I saw on day four and five, so I have decided to make a C-C-C-OMBO post. Followed by some very short reflections on Edgelands and Hitch.

Day the fourth

(g)host city - St. Antony’s by Kieran Hurley

(g)host city is an invisible festival without a venue. Or, rather, the city is the venue. A selection of audio pieces curated by Laura Cameron Lewis that you can download all of (7.99) or just  the ones you want to do (I downloaded Kieran’s from Bandcamp for £2). St. Antony’s plays out like you’ve found a phone fallen between some rocks in Holyrood Park. As if you picked it up and listened to the first voicemail by mistake and then slowly not been able to stop. I wonder if you could put the piece on a phone just like that? Be sent the location to a lost phone. Pick it up, listen. A small piece for a big place, this is one of my favourite experiences from the fringe. Not just for Kieran’s lovely ear for the idiosyncrasies of dialogue, or the gripping unfolding of increasingly tragic messages that are fated to never reach their receiver, but because Holyrood park, and Edinburgh, is fucking beautiful place. I enjoyed a moment of being embedded rather than transported in it.

2401 Objects - Analogue

Apart from the slightly disconcerting resemblance of one of the actors to a younger Hugh Laurie, I found plenty to enjoy in Analogue’s story of ‘the world’s most famous amnesiac patient’. It felt a lot more drama-y that Lecture Notes on a Death scene, and I don’t think it always benefited from that. (I’m very easily bored of ‘actor voice’, these days). But a really affecting story, told in quite a visually strong way; I liked very much the way the screen moved and wiped away scenes, like the dropping away of memories. I wanted the piece to be smaller though. It felt too big, the sense was of the wide world of scientific enquiry, when I think it should have been closer, more ‘in the head’ of Henry. The most powerful moment was the tying of it down to our bodies – the moment you’re asked to place your hands on your head. I felt like after acknowledging the audience so much at the beginning, it was strange to move into more conventional 4th wall stuff. A really interesting piece that I think could afford to be more tied down.

Day the fifth

The Adventures of Wound Man and Shirley - Chris Goode.

Not sure where to start on this one. THERE WAS JUST TOO MUCH LOVELINESS. Chris is a master of theatrical storytelling, his gentle, open and warm manner fill the Baby Grand and a simple 3 chair set (with associated teenage paraphernalia) becomes the scene of a devastating fire, the threshold of a school’s changing rooms, the back seat of a car, the formica tables of a poor Spud-u-Like imitation. A story about a superhero and a sidekick. Continue reading…

Preview

A small preview of something I’ve been working on that’s happening the end of this month. Best listened to on headphones. Stay tuned for more info…
view on vimeo here: http://vimeo.com/25934590