Still taken from film of live performance using the plates to reflect light 

Following the first Porthleven residency and the presentation, and finding out we had been accepted onto the second residency back in Porthleven, Katie Sims (Fine Art student) and I started to think about how we could work collaboratively as we had done successfully back in Bath. 

During the first residency Katie found that there was a live streaming webcam looking out into the harbour which streamed through the Porthleven holiday cottage website. As soon as we got back to Porthleven we began to think about the possibilities of using the already installed and working camera  as a tool to broadcast a performance. 

We discussed many different possible outcomes, trying to link our practises, Ie. Katie’s performance art and my printmaking. We composed a series of possible scenes, and came to the conclusion that the link was ‘imprint’. Some of the ideas I thought about were linked with the body printing I had been working on throughout the residency and we discussed ideas and different items we wanted to include in the performance. Towards the final days of the residency I adapted my part in the performance and started to think about how to incorporate an element of process into the performance as it is so important to printmaking and my current practise. I also started to think about place (Porthleven) linking with the themes of ‘Provenance’ and the links between how I had been documenting the effect of the sea on the land as well as a place at a moment in time through printmaking.

When we came to the actual performance we went in with a very simple idea of what we intended to do and we invited the others in our group to come and take part or watch. We had designed and sent out a leaflet advertising the event on social media and through email to encourage people to watch online, however we didn’t make any physical posters or leaflets to hand out as we felt as we were using technology to broadcast and document the event we should only use technology to advertise. At 5pm Katie and I started to set up our props and began the performance. We wore masks as part of Katie’s practise to disguise our identities as well as wearing a representation of place as the casts of rock which the masks were originally made from came from Porthleven. This also links with he work I did on documenting place through geology. Katie also wore a dress, which she had previously made in response to Porthleven. We began with just the two of us. We referred to the term ‘quasi choreographing’ when describing how we came to decisions during the performance meaning most were spontaneous and previously un-discussed.

Still taken from film of live performance showing the group making their plates. 

I supplied the metal, unmarked, plain drypoint plates for the performance and to begin with we used them to reflect the light as well as disguise our identities. A particularly exciting part for me was when I asked everyone who took part in the second half Ie. Katie, Alex and Lyon to join with me in using a plate each to document the place and time. This reflected my work from previous weeks (I only gave them brief and undefined instructions on how to go about this). At this point everyone separated having been previously moving in sync and became engrossed in making marks on their piece of metal. We all used different objects to create these marks and once we all collectively decided that our plates were finished we came back together and repeated our previous actions of lifting the plates and attempting to make them reflect the sun this time. Following the performance I collected the plates which the others and I had made in the performance and labelled them according to the person who made it, the time it was made and the exact location. Even though we were able to record and document all of the performance via the webcam I felt that the plates I collected were also an honest representation of the performance.  

Still taken from film of live performance showing using plates to reflect and disclose identity.