I developed this performance to explore physicality as a return to the embodied self, the self that occupies space by claiming it through movement.   I am looking at the way our senses work together in awareness to achieve the daily feats that we take for granted, seeking ways to bring these into awareness through playful action.

 

‘Learning to Walk’ is about using my body’s ability to learn and to feel and to balance, proprioceptive skills I use all the time and normally take for granted but repackaged so that I must pay attention to them. So I walk backwards using the bare foot to detect a difference in the floor texture to navigate.  At the same time there are a few obstacles to take into account which add to the attention load but at the same time provide points of difference for spatial mapping.

 

I have kept this as simple as possible to avoid other connotations; its complexity lies solely in what I am asking the body to do (because this is actually a highly complex thing already).  This is within the range of a normal healthy body; there is no need to be a dancer or an athlete or train for hours in gymnastics.   The set is in black and white to unite it aesthetically but it’s not about being aesthetically pleasing.  If the design has any connotations I am intending these to be an association with everyday materials, perhaps of the city.

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I would love it if people felt brave enough to try this for themselves, if you see me performing this please ask me....