Experimentica ends. Performance Continues.
The festival is not simple to sum up. There is a lot going on.
The new chapter operates well as a site for experimentica. The site is a little underused in some respects. The theatrical lineage of much of the performance at the festival suits black box rooms that host most of the work. Where the work does venture out there are questions about the parameters of the spaces... Where should I stand? How long does this go on? Can I ask questions? Is this art? Is this piece for me? Is this good dance because I’ve never seen dance before? Is this action good sculpture? Is this music good writing? Is this writing good drawing? By now the questions have re-entered the black box space, left again, been to the bar and wandered around the gallery (which is not part of the festival).

I was at the experimental art, performance, theatre, action, intervention, image, film, sculpture, installation festival. Focused around the bar area, the room that attracts most of my attention, I stand among the people. People mostly look like journalists or art school mature students. I mean by that, kind of smartish and a little rough around the edges for men, and women in grey pleats and quiet flower patterns. I can’t describe performances anymore. The events that take place often have complex situations and ideas being evoked, others rely upon abstract actions and movements that would be easily mis-interpreted in word format. Some work very well others are awful. That’s the nature of the art, performance, theatre, action, intervention, image, film, sculpture, installation festival beast. We hang outside the theatre again, and everyone’s pondering the worth of a dance performance that just took place. People are chatting quietly and pursing their lips and lowering the brow in search of focus on a certain phrase that would explain the reason they thought that it worked or didn’t. The conversations are working, people are listening and talking well.

@ tactileBOSCH

tactileBOSCH
In the darkness... The electrics flicker and paint work flakes. The concrete has cracks and the weather outside also happens indoors. The building is like a barn and also like industrial ruins, re-ocupied by artists. Under low angled roofs, webs of extension cables link to security lights and hanging bulbs. The events that took place occupied environments from this building. Integrated into the character of the building. For an exhibition of contemporary art there was more darkness and low lights than you’d expect. Works emerged from dark corners, people undertaking performance in duskish cover, by fire light, or with intermittent halogen bursts. The performances in the large part were durational works, processes, filmic stills, and gradual live installations. This can’t really explain the breadth and depth of the amount of works that happened in the building and stolen scenes or evocative phrases that dilly dally about each piece would be inappropriate. If you saw it you did, and if you missed it you really did miss it. I can say that there was beautiful correlations between works that had very diminished presence and sometimes happened with restricted visual access. The work was in the building to be found, and things were not shoved under your nose. In this way the work invites you to investigate the building. The architecture and the space. The building has such a character that it’s in danger of overpowering the works. But In this show I felt that the art allowed the building to become a proper host, guiding you through the show and the works and the exhibits.

Anthony sings Syd

'Like the bastard son of Marianne Faithful and Dylan Thomas'
apparently... according to the Observer;
Cardiff born singer, author and musician Reynolds sings 12 songs by
Syd Barrett arranged for piano and string quartet.

www.anthonyreynolds.net

'and what exactly is a joke' - Saturday 14 November 9pm

Experimentica Schedule

Tuesday 10 November
Auxesis Performance (at tactileBOSCH)

7pm onwards

Kathryn Ashill
Phil Babot
Jurgan Fritz
Florian Feigl
Mark Greenwood
Justin McKeown
Joost Nieuwenburg
protoPLAY


Wednesday 11 November
Chapter

6 - 11pm wed - sun
Clara Garcia Fraile
Treat Me Like You Do

6.30pm
Matthew Ennalls
Tape pile

7pm
Caroline Sabin and Eddie Ladd
Things Happening Quietly


8pm
Random People
We Live Here Now

10pm
Richard Allen
Stage Fright


Thursday 12 November
Chapter

6.30pm
Emily Underwood-Lee
Patience

7pm
Matte Beere and Jesse Schwenk
Resistor

8.30pm
Deborah Light
Between Reality

9pm
Marya Erin Jones (USA)
SEA and The Invalid Mariner


Friday 13 November
Chapter

7pm
SAAB
The Velvet Lantern

8pm
Lorena Wolffer (Mexico)
Recovery Map

9.30pm
Bryony Kimmings
Sex Idiot

10pm
Matte Beere and Jesse Schwenk
Resistor

Saturday 14 November
Chapter

12+3pm Performance
Wed - Sun 12-10pm Installation
Eve Dent and Zoe Gingell
Breastcups


5pm
Chad Dembski
All for Nothing

8pm
Paul Hurley


7pm
Los Torreznos (Spain)
Breathing

9pm
Baroque Barrett(UK premiere)
... and what exactly is a joke?


Sunday 15 November
Chapter

2-8pm
Sian Robinson Davies
Pen is the Word for Fisherman

2pm
Gerald Tyler versus Limbo
Six Dreams and Other Nonsense

5pm
Sam Hasler and Leo Devlin
Artists in Residence Presentation

7pm
Katherina Radeva
Native Birds

9pm
Geumhyung Jeong (Korea)
Oil Pressure Vibrator

tactileBOSCH Through the week

Sam Aldridge
Tim Bromage
+Karl Price
+John Ruddick
Kayleigh Hughes
Faith Johnson
Thomas Stevenson

tactileBOSCH Saturday 14 November

Shaun Canton
+ Brownsierra
Chris Evans
Paul Hurley

Welcome to the ninth instalment of Experimentica.

A brave new Chapter of theatre, dance and live art from local and international artists

It all kicks off with Auxesis: performance at tactileBOSCH gallery and studios in Llandaff North on Tuesday 10 November then continues at tB and Chapter Arts Centre until the 15th.

We will be sharing commentary, video and photos throughout the event and Experimentica artist Sam Hasler will be making postings here as part of the text based interventions he will making as part of the festival.