€¦ · Web view, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role...
16
Claire Cunningham Give Me A Reason To Live Marketing Information
Transcript of €¦ · Web view, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role...
Claire CunninghamGive Me A Reason To Live
Marketing Information
GENERAL INFORMATION
Running time: 40 mins
Age rec: We recommend this programme for ages 12+ but welcome people of all ages. Please note that this is a quiet piece and may not be suitable for younger people with a short attention span.
About Claire Cunningham:
Claire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland and a current Factory Artist with Tanzhaus Düsseldorf, Germany. One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists, Cunningham’s work is often rooted in the study and use/misuse of her crutches and the exploration of the potential of her own specific physicality with a conscious rejection of traditional dance techniques (developed for non-disabled bodies). This runs alongside a deep interest in the lived experience of disability and its implications not only as a choreographer but also in terms of societal notions of knowledge, value, connection and interdependence. A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work combines multiple art forms and ranges from the intimate solo show ME (Mobile/Evolution) (2009), to the large ensemble work 12 made for Candoco Dance Company. In 2014 she created a new solo: Give Me a Reason to Live, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role of beggars/cripples in his work, and the full length show Guide Gods, looking at the perspectives of the major Faith traditions towards the issue of disability. She is a former Artist-in–Residence at the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank, London and of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. In 2016 she was Artist in Residence with Perth International Arts Festival, Australia and Associate Artist at Tramway, Glasgow.Claire is currently touring The Way You Look (at me) Tonight, a duet with Jess Curtis and is development a new ensemble work Thank You Very Much for 2019.
Latecomers: Latecomers will not be admitted
ABOUT THE WORK
What to expect (Please do not mistake this for copy!)
Give Me a Reason to Live is inspired by the work of Dutch Medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and speculation that figures of beggars and cripples in his work were representative of sin, in particular the sin of greed, a sentiment that feels reflective of the UK governments
and media’s current negative depictions of disabled people, often as scroungers. The piece itself takes the form of a series of physical tests for Claire as she stretches the limits of her body, and culminates with Claire singing a cantata by JS Bach.
With this piece Claire invites us to question or consider our own feelings of empathy, sympathy or indifference towards disabled people.
As the copy would suggest, this is a sombre piece for audiences and while we have had excellent feedback from our audiences, some people have found the piece very emotional.
Unique Selling Points
Claire Cunningham is one of the UK’s leading dance artists Inspired by the work of Medieval painter Hieronymous Bosch,
2016 is the 500th anniversary of his death. The piece resonates with current lines of thought that disabled
people in the UK are looked down upon by the government and some UK Media.
During the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015, Give Me a Reason to Live was nominated for a Total Theatre Award, an Amnesty International, Freedom of Expression Award and the Euan’s Guide Accessible Fringe Award.
The piece was created through B Project - which invites choreographers to create new dance inspired by Bosch
A mesmerising sound score by Edinburgh artist Zoë Irvine complements the meditative feel of the work
The work is visually striking, stripped bare, physically powerful work piece.
The work is dedicated to and is a live memorial to the disabled victims of the Nazi Aktion T4 euthanasia program of the 1940's- the 'pilot program' of the Holocaust, and to UK victims currently dying from 'welfare reform'.
The work resonates with the current experiences of disabled individuals in the UK applying for governmental support and the psychological effects of the conflict of proving both capability and limitations
Target Audiences
Contemporary Dance & Live Art Audiences
Visual Arts / Medieval Art attenders and people interested in Hieronymus Bosch
Those interested in disability equality and work by disabled artists
Those interested in current affairs / UK Politics Deaf and Visually Impaired people (where Sign Language
/Audio Description is happening) Academics and students of contemporary art, performance
practice and dance
COPY
Copy (Please run any edits past Vicky with at least 48 hrs in advance of deadlines)
Give Me A Reason To LiveClaire Cunningham
Short Description (60 words)
In a starkly beautiful work of transcendence and trial, Cunningham delves into the work of medieval painter Hieronymous Bosch, to explore religion, religious art, and the judgment of souls and bodies.
Powerfully physical, visually striking, and set to a mesmerising score, Give Me a Reason to Live invites us to consider our own empathy, sympathy or indifference, in a work of both generosity and brutal immediacy.
“Stark [and] brutal with her customary integrity and conviction.” ★★★★★ The Herald
www.clairecunningham.co.uk
Long Description 100 words
In a starkly beautiful work of transcendence and trial, Claire delves into the work of medieval painter Hieronymous Bosch, to explore religion, religious art, and the judgment of souls and bodies.
Through tests of both body and faith, Give Me A Reason To Live draws upon imagery of disabled people in Bosch’s apocalyptic paintings to question our present perspectives on “otherness” and “difference”.
Powerfully physical, visually striking, and set to a mesmerising score, Give Me a Reason to Live invites us to consider our own empathy, sympathy or indifference, in a work of both generosity and brutal immediacy.
“Stark [and] brutal with her customary integrity and conviction.” ★★★★★ The Herald
www.clairecunningham.co.uk
FURTHER INFORMATION & CONTENT
Creative Team
Choreographed and Performed by Claire CunninghamLighting Design: Karsten TinappSound Design: Zoë IrvineCello: Matthias HerrmannAdditional music: Nesciens Mater: Jean Mouton, Den Tod .: JS BachCostume: Shanti FreedMentors: Kristin De Groot (Bosch Project), Janice Parker (Scotland)Production Management/ Re-Lighting: Gregor KnüppelExecutive Producer: Nadja DiasAssistant Producer: Sheena Khanna
Give Me A Reason To Live video promohttps://vimeo.com/109287574
Give Me A Reason To Live video promo embed code <iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/109287574" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
Please note you can edit the appearance of the embedded promo by clicking ‘share’ on the vimeo promo page.
Interviews with Claire about the piecePIAF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0QvigO59ywBritish Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79a3K9UhCfs&t=29s
Give Me A Reason To Live full length film (FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. NOT TO BE MADE PUBLIC).https://vimeo.com/102824696Password: Bosch
Production Photoshttps://www.hightail.com/download/ZWJWWWVzNDIzeUxyZHNUQw
Please note the Main Publicity Image noted in the image name. It is important to us that photographers are credited so please do so wherever possible. Photo credits are in the file name.
Speech by British Council Spain and excerpt of the work performed in Museo Nacional del Prado (may be available for limited time only:https://www.facebook.com/clairecunninghamprojects/posts/1458456104165513
Pictures taken of the piece at Museo Nacional del Pradohttps://www.facebook.com/clairecunninghamprojects/posts/1457243487620108
PRESS QUOTES AND LINKS TO REVIEWS AND ARTICLES
“There is so much heart and intellect, courage and integrity here: Cunningham pushes boundaries not just for disability rights, but for us all” ★★★★★ The Heraldhttp://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/13212657.DIG_Review__Give_me_a_reason_to_live_at_Tramway__Glasgow/
“her work is delving further into politics, taking lessons from history to attempt to understand what is happening now” Disability Arts Online.http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/claire-cunningham-give-me-a-reason-to-live-interview
“shocking and immediate” ★★★★ The Listhttps://www.list.co.uk/article/70641-dance-review-give-me-a-reason-to-live/
“Give Me a Reason to Live is a quietly intelligent work that manages to be both devastating and full of joy.” ★★★★ Bachtrackhttps://bachtrack.com/review-claire-cunningham-give-me-a-reason-to-live-brighton-festival
"Give Me a Reason to Live will undoubtedly leave you moved and slightly shell-shocked."★★★★ Edinburgh Festival's Magazinehttp://www.edfestmag.com/give-me-a-reason-to-live-2/
"It’s brutal and stunning and reminds us how powerful, immediate and eloquent a language dance can be" ★★★★★ FEST https://www.festmag.co.uk/features/102892-boys_who_like_play_with_dolls_give_me_reason_live
" Cunningham is not attempting to be the ‘usual’ kind of dancer that impresses with strength and precision, technique and flexibility. She is successfully creating her own unique physical language that is technically impressive in a way unique to her, and that is as emotionally expressive and communicative as only the best dance can be." http://www.newslocker.com/en-uk/region/salford/claire-cunningham-give-me-a-reason-to-live-the-lowry-salford-the-reviews-hub/view/
“I began to see that there’s this cycle whenever we’re all worried and there’s a climate of fear, people turn on the most vulnerable" Claire talks to the Scotsman about how the themes of Give Me A Reason to Live resonate with today’s political culture.
http://www.wow247.co.uk/2015/08/11/claire-cunningham-on-staying-creative-in-a-climate-of-fear/
"Cunningham expresses what her body knows, without embellishment, producing new forms of subjectivity, agency and articulation" Give Me A Reason to Live preview by Dance Umbrellahttp://danceumbrella.co.uk/article.php?id=14#.Vi4GefnhCUn
Review and sketches by The White Pube:http://www.thewhitepube.co.uk/claire-cunningham-unity-theatre
Web and Social Media Links
www.clairecunningham.co.ukFacebook.com/clairecunninghamprojectsTwitter.com/ClaireCprojectshttps://vimeo.com/clairecunninghamStorify of Fringe 2015 press and audience feedback: https://storify.com/VickyWilson/give-me-a-reason-to-live
Access
Although the piece doesn’t require onstage sign language interpretation, making our shows as accessible to as many people
as possible is important to us. We are happy to work with venues to market to disabled audiences and can discuss options surrounding Post Show talks (including sign language interpretation) and audio description/touch tours.
http://www.clairecunningham.co.uk/productions/give-me-a- reason-to-live/
We can offer guidance on creating bespoke large print, audio and braille programmes for our performances.
We can offer advice on creating a ‘how to get to…’ film for venues e.g. https://vimeo.com/135349366 we have found that films such as this can be useful to help people plan their journeys to venues.
We are currently working on sound notes for deaf and hard of hearing audience members. Please contact Vicky if you are interested in receiving these ahead of your performance.
For specific access queries about the piece, please refer people to Vicky on the details below or email [email protected]
Programmes
For venues/festivals producing their own programme/free sheet, please include the following information. (Please run any edits past Vicky with at least 48 hrs in advance of your deadline). If you are not providing a programme, the company will provide a freesheet to be handed out by ushers.
Claire CunninghamGive Me a Reason to Live
Creative TeamChoreographed and Performed by Claire CunninghamLighting Design: Karsten TinappSound Design: Zoë IrvineCello: Matthias HerrmannAdditional music: Nesciens Mater: Jean Mouton, Den Tod .: JS BachCostume: Shanti FreedMentors: Kristin De Groot (Bosch Project), Janice Parker (Scotland)Production Management/ Re-Lighting: Gregor KnüppelExecutive Producer: Nadja DiasAssistant Producer: Sheena Khanna Claire CunninghamClaire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists,
Cunningham’s work is often rooted in the study and use/misuse of her crutches and the exploration of the potential of her own specific physicality with a conscious rejection of traditional dance techniques (developed for non-disabled bodies) or the attempt to move with the pretence of a body or aesthetic other than her own. A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work combines multiple artforms and ranges from the intimate solo show ME (Mobile/Evolution) (2009), to the large ensemble work 12 made for Candoco Dance Company. In 2014 she created a new solo: Give Me a Reason to Live, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role of beggars/cripples in his work, and the full length show Guide Gods, looking at the perspectives of the major Faith traditions towards the issue of disability. She is a former Artist-in–Residence at the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank, London and of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. In 2016 she is the Artist in Residence with Perth International Arts Festival, Australia and Associate Artist at Tramway, Glasgow, and she has recently been awarded an Unlimited Commission for a new duet, The Way You Look (at me) Tonight with choreographer Jess Curtis which has now toured in the UK, USA and Germany.
Directors noteInspired by the work of medieval Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, particularly the role of beggars/cripples as possible symbols of sin, Give Me a Reason to Live is a study in the notion and provocation of empathy. A live memorial to the disabled victims of the Nazi Aktion T4 euthanasia program of the mid 20th Century, and the current disabled victims of recent ‘welfare reform’ in the UK. Give Me a Reason to Live is a test of body, and of faith.
BWV 4 Cantata: Christ lag in Todesbanden III. Versus II
Den Tod niemand zwingen kunntBei allen Menschenkindern,Das macht' alles unsre Sünd,Kein Unschuld war zu finden.Davon kam der Tod so baldUnd nahm über uns Gewalt,Hielt uns in seinem Reich gefangen.Halleluja!
www.clairecunningham.co.uk
No one could defeat deathamong all humanity,this was all because of our sins,no innocence was to be found.Therefore death came so soon and took power over us,held us captive in his kingdom.Hallelujah! J.S. Bach
Facebook.com/ClaireCunninghamProjects@ClaireCProjects
Jheronimus Bosch 500 Foundation (NL), Comune di Bassano del Grappa (IT), Dance Umbrella London (UK), La Briqueterie/CDC du Val de Marne (FR), D.ID Dance Identity (AT). Associated partners: Festival CEMENT (NL), Dansateliers Rotterdam (NL)
Additional support: The Work Room (Glasgow), Dance House (Glasgow), Tramway (Glasgow) and //Buzzcut//.
PressPlease find a generic press release below.(Please run any edits past Vicky with at least 48 hrs in advance of your deadline).
CLAIRE CUNNINGHAMGive Me a Reason to Live
Hieronymous Bosch-inspired tour de force
Inspired by the work of medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch, this startling solo fuses movement, music and feats of endurance to explore issues of sin, the judgement of bodies and the notion of empathy.
In this intense, harrowing and ultimately political piece, acclaimed choreographer and performer Claire Cunningham (Ménage A Trois, National Theatre of Scotland) pushes her mind and body to their utmost limits, in a series of breathless tests of endurance and defiance. In an intimate, darkened space, the audience witness this illuminated, lone figure choreograph her body to a mesmerising sound score, twisting and contorting herself repeatedly in and out of Bosch-inspired shapes. As she eventually drops her crutches and stands before us, shaking, vulnerable yet dignified, the audience are forced to face their own dilemma – do they empathise or do they sympathise? And so the artist asks whether a disabled body can provoke empathy, or will it always provoke sympathy instead? Or, indeed, are we moving into a period of apathy towards others?
Give Me a Reason to Live was created by Cunningham following her time on the B Project in 2013/14, which was set up to mark the 500th anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch’s death in 2016. Claire and four other dance artists (see B Project section) spent time working together and independently in five European towns, all with Bosch
connections or artwork in their museum collections. In London, they performed improvisations in the National Gallery in front of the Bosch painting ‘Christ Mocked’, as the gallery going public looked on. In Bassano (Italy), Claire spent an entire week working independently in a church, with the whole building to herself, surrounded by religious imagery and iconography. In Vienna, she attended a lecture on Bosch’s drawing and sketches. A particular series of drawings of beggars, all of whom were disabled, and portrayed as both needy and greedy, caught her attention. They led her to think about the disabled victims of the Nazi euthanasia program and the current disabled victims of the present UK government’s so-called ‘welfare reform’. Ultimately, the piece has become a live memorial to those people:
“The inspiration for Give Me A Reason To Live came from a collection of Bosch drawings of beggars in which all beggars were 'cripples'. It was speculated that they might have been symbols of greed for Bosch. This idea, of the disabled being seen as greedy seemed frighteningly current to what I am witnessing now in the UK -the increase of hate crime against disabled people, the drift of the media into labeling disabled people as scroungers and the shocking tactics of the governments supposed ‘welfare reform’ that is judging and destroying the lives of many disabled individuals.The idea of disabled people as symbols of 'greed' therefore became of interest to me, and reminded me of the shift in society in Germany in the late 30s when the Aktion T4 programme was created, labeling disabled people as ‘useless eaters’… a waste of food. It seems whenever the economy is seen to be in crisis, or we are told it is, then the notion to ‘kill the weak’ surfaces.” (Claire Cunningham)
ENDS
Claire Cunningham
Claire Cunningham biog Feb 2016 Claire Cunningham is a performer and creator of multi-disciplinary performance based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of the UK’s most acclaimed and internationally renowned disabled artists, Cunningham's work is often rooted in the study and use/misuse of her crutches and the exploration of the potential of her own specific physicality with a conscious rejection of traditional dance techniques (developed for non-disabled bodies) or the attempt to move with the pretence of a body or aesthetic other than her own. A self-identifying disabled artist, Cunningham’s work combines multiple artforms and ranges from the intimate solo show ME (Mobile/Evolution) (2009), to the large ensemble work “12” made for Candoco Dance Company. In 2014 she created a new solo: Give Me a Reason to Live, inspired by the work of Dutch medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and the role of beggars/cripples
in his work, and the full length show Guide Gods, looking at the perspectives of the major Faith traditions towards the issue of disability. She is a former Artist-in–Residence at the Women of the World Festival at the Southbank, London and of the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queens. In 2016 she is the Artist in Residence with Perth International Arts Festival, Australia and Associate Artist at Tramway, Glasgow, and she has recently been awarded an Unlimited Commission for a new duet, The Way You Look (at me) Tonight with choreographer Jess Curtis which has now toured in the UK, USA and Germany.
www.clairecunningham.co.ukwww.facebook.com/clairecunninghamprojects @ClaireCprojects
B Project The B Project ran from May 2013 – March 2014, in the run up to the 500 year anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch’s death in 2016. The project is a unique collaboration between the following organisations and dance artists:
· Jheronimus Bosch 500 Foundation (NL) - choreographer Jan Martens· Comune di Bassano del Grappa (IT) - choreographer Giorgia Nardin· Dance Umbrella London (UK) - choreographer Claire Cunningham· La Briqueterie/CDC du Val de Marne (FR) - choreographer Maxence Rey· D.ID Dance Identity (AT) - choreographer Juan Dante Murillo
In all the cities museums were involved in the project as well. The project was designed to create considerable inspiration for the chosen artists on the work and life of Hieronymus Bosch, visual arts and dance in general, and to enhance international contacts.
Credits
Creative TeamChoreographed and Performed by Claire CunninghamLighting Design: Karsten TinappSound Design: Zoë IrvineCello: Matthias HerrmannAdditional music: Nesciens Mater: Jean Mouton, Den Tod .: JS BachCostume: Shanti FreedMentors: Kristin De Groot (Bosch Project), Janice Parker (Scotland)
Production Management/ Re-Lighting: Gregor KnüppelExecutive Producer: Nadja DiasAssistant Producer: Sheena Khanna
Jheronimus Bosch 500 Foundation (NL), Comune di Bassano del Grappa (IT), Dance Umbrella London (UK), La Briqueterie/CDC du Val de Marne (FR), D.ID Dance Identity (AT). Associated partners: Festival CEMENT (NL), Dansateliers Rotterdam (NL)
Additional support: The Work Room (Glasgow), Dance House (Glasgow), Tramway (Glasgow) and //Buzzcut//.
Contacts
Marketing Manager Vicky [email protected]
