We were never one - alter-ego practice as research

Possible research components…

In this blog I’m setting out my thinking about the research for my MA Performance Practices. I’ve included all the elements recommended in our Designing the Body of Research module. It’s very much a first stab and it will change, but it’s built on my artistic practice over the last few years and on the first few modules of the course, recent performances, together with conversations with tutors and fellow students. (More info is available on how I’ve got to this point and my learning / thinking over the last month.)

My practice has taken a leap forward as a result of the MA, and year 2 of the course is an exciting opportunity to go into some depth. At the end of the blog I’ve included a link to a document that explains more of the background of how I’ve got to this point and my recent learning. I welcome feedback at the start of this next part of the journey.

Aim

This is the aim of my initial research proposal:

To explore how the engagements within and transitions between a community of alter-egos, affect embodied experience and performance of the artist

It has two key elements - the engagements within and the transitions between my community of alter-egos. I have considered narrowing down to one element but am sticking with both at this stage because both aspects are still providing so much learning and are still new. In addition, my recent residency has prompted new reflection around the role of my primary self (I’m not sure this is the right phrase yet) with and in the alter-ego community. I had thought of my role as the documenter of the community, but this needs re-examining.

Keeping both elements in the research was supported by conversations with tutors.  This might change as the work continues.

Urgency

•       Personal – challenge societal norms as older feminist woman, embody the other – explore different ways of being that focus on what society needs to thrive / survive 

•       Society - importance of recognising entanglement, fluidity and flexibility, for navigating chaos of now caused by neo-liberalism. We need ways of embodying the other that can shift the debates about fixed notions of identity.

•       Field – I suspect there’s a gap in the performance studies field about communities of alter-egos, how they operate, shape and influence each other?  

Question

Here I’m trying to keep the question broader than the aim, so my question is…

•       How can embodying multiple alter-egos as a community create new performance possibilities ?

And – if there was a sub-question, I think it would be: How does this practice affect the embodied experience and performance of the artist? I feel this research is about the how, the methods and ways of approaching the concept, rather than the content of what is made. I want to work out what is going on when I’m doing this practice, how I am doing it and might do it in future, therefore:

Contribution

•       Provide a case study of one artist’s use of a community or cohort of alter-egos, offering new insights into the relationship between identity, body, and performance

•       And ways of understanding and approaching alter-ego communities and their role / potential in performance? (Not sure?)

Objectives – currently not smart but could be when we know timetable etc.

•       Carry out a literature review

•       Develop and clarify the theoretical framework for assessment of the embodied and psychological responses to a series of experiments that explore the question

•       Practice as research - conduct a series of practice-based experiments (during the allocated time period) designed to test different approaches to alter-ego interactions and transitions, capturing challenges and insights that illuminate the question

•       Document the physical, emotional, psychological and perceptual changes that occur during the embodiment process (based on the experiments above)

•       Analyse how the alter-ego transitions and engagements reshape bodily awareness and contribute to notions of performative identity and collective selfhood.

Field - Theory

•       Judith Butler – theories of gender performativity remain important for my practice.

•       Karen Barad – quantum theory of identities and entanglement offers perspectives, useful dialogue with the research, building on the bodies in dissent module. 

•       Philip Bromberg – coming from the field of identity theory, Bromberg’s psycho-analytical multiplicity theory argues that the healthy self isn’t a singular cohesive entity and that  the capacity of different self-states to recognise and maintain identities is important. I think my research needs a supporting psychological theory to ground the ideas, but something that is distinct from art therapy / art as therapy.

•       Jessica Benjamin – builds on Bromberg’s work focusing on intersubjective recognition, multiple self-states and the spaces between them – theory considers complementarity, thirdness and gender development – this might be more useful but I need to read more.

•       Victor Turner – liminality.  Turner seems important for the element of the research dealing with transitions and liminal states – I need to read more / I have questions about the anthropological approach and how it fits with the psy  is this is too old school?

Field - Artists

•       Joan Jonas… because of the way multiple alter-egos, places and histories engage in a distinctive poetic language / over decades / use of live drawing that entangles elements

•       Lynne Hershman Leeson – particularly her documentation of transitions / maps / methods and use of other artists to inhabit alter-egos

•       Nicole Daniels – provides a contrasting approach, she has a wide range of alter-egos (more than 20) and uses different methods (some alter-egos focus on societal roles, other times she uses dolls as alter-egos)

•       Victoria Sin – gender performativity and multiplicity – they inhabit multiple characters, many from Cantonese opera / western drag.

Research methods

•       Reflective journalling and performance documentation – this is new and worked well for me in the residency.

•       As above in the objectives - I haven’t got the theoretical framework yet so am not exactly sure about how to capture / systematize information about the alter-ego transition and engagement.

•       This also depends on how the practice develops – as mentioned above the engagement between the alter-egos independent of me, is new; so the way they engage (and what engagement means) is still fluid and will firm up during the experiments.  

•       For example – in terms of the embodiment I am starting to explore e.g. somatics  - Rosalind Crisp – removing habits? Merleau Ponty – body subject – destabilising / creating new modes of perception? And /or Diana Taylor – storing and transmitting embodied knowledge / experience?

•       And as the expression of the transition or engagement might take different forms – e.g. it might take a creative form, drawing or using light? Shadows? Or the engagement has been non-verbal? And I have started to explore working with other artists to embody the alter-ego, what might this mean for the methods of capture?

Ethics

•       Self-care – psychological well-being?

•       Other artists I might invite to inhabit the alter-egos

(more to consider here.)

Performance experiments - electives assignment

Blog assignment - Performance art practice as research elective

Welcome

Here I am sharing my thoughts, process, plans and reflections on a series of performance experiments in a major gallery in Nottingham UK. I am building on the elective undetaken as part of the MA Performance Practices at ArtEZ.

Trust in Change: On world politics- overcoming structural political boundaries by thinking with the body VestAndPage.

I am an older feminist artist. I work with four alter-egos who make performances artworks using different media. In my practice I explore ideas of agency and becoming, in both a personal growth sense and at a political level, I reject society’s norms and want to become the person the universe needs me to be. In the experiments my 4 alter-egos performed in response to a major art/science exhibition, Cosmic Titans - an exciting and daunting opportunity.

https://www.lakesidearts.org.uk/exhibition/cosmictitans/

I chose this exhibition because of the direct connections to the Body In Dissent module, performance and essay (e.g. Karen Barad’s work on entanglement and quantum identities and Ruth Gregory on superposition). I felt the exhibition missed the body and that bringing the body (and the alter-egos bodies) could both add a human dynamic and provide a destabilising intervention in the space. I made a proposal to exhibitions curator and scientific advisors on this basis, and they agreed.

What are the given practice as research approaches and methods I am choosing to explore? How have I applied this method / how it resonated with me?

Approach 1:  Rhizomatic research methods

This method was introduced to us during the elective and the technique was used when we undertook the exercises on day 1 i) global political institutions and day 3 ii) climate change.  

In the elective we looked at rhizomatic research (a concept from Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, 1980 ) using a wide range of data, memories, conversations and in different forms. From this I  expanded my approach to researching the performance experiments in a non-linear way e.g.  opening 50 tabs about blackhole mergers, flicking through them superfast for gist, connection and essences, using memories of space education, approached baffling scientific documents as a strange language and immersed myself in clips of stars collapsing. I’ve attended lectures by internationally known physicists, met with astro-physicists who work on art/science collaborations and met one of the artists whose work the alter-egos are responding to - Conrad Shawcross. (www.conradshawcross.com ) I want to research rhizomatic research further and experiment with what that means for my practice. This is a first engagement with the method, but it made me think differently about the topic, the way I collect data and the documentation e.g. I am experimenting with slow-motion filming to draw out nuances, audience and scientist feedback.

Approach 2: Site responsive

In the elective, this method was introduced to us in both Day 2 and day 5. Ethan Sammons Ericson (Colleague and Artist) invited us to perform with him in response to the trees in the Sonsbeek Park. The tree attunement process we undertook was a fluid interaction between us as artists, individual and groups of trees (more fluid than a site-specific response might be.)

I had done a site responsive performance before but found this new method which comes from a folkloric / mythic tradition to be very useful in its stepped attunement process using multiple sensory inputs. The method invited us to connect to and reflect on different levels, the individual trees , the types of trees / genus / wood and the broader geographic political social context.

Applying this method gave a structure to responding to other artists work in my performance experiments, it added depth and new insights, including responding as the alter-egos. I asked myself about where the agency was in the space and why that mattered. (See picture: The Green Witch by Arin Murphy Hiscock.)

Photo from Ethan Sammond Ericson

Other methods: i) creative writing. In the elective on day 1 I found writing from a different perspective helpful. In the global politics exercise we were writing then embodying /speaking the words. I very rarely write with/through my alter-egos, as they don’t have scripts, however I am using this method in one of the experiments below.

ii) Also I am aware I’m using another method highlighted in the elective: guerilla tactics. I am inserting my body (and characters) into a formal exhibition space . Although it’s not illegal / technically guerilla, in the sense of some of the inspiring artists we looked at in the elective e.g. the Guerilla Girls or Nan Golding’s inspiring All the Beauty and the Bloodshed film work, because I have permission, the experiments are still an intervention. My alter-egos do not necessarily behave in a controlled way or would like the work.

What questions was I looking to investigate in the experiments?

·       How can I use my emerging practice framework (see diagram below) for my four alter-egos in the exhibition at the same time? 

·       What forms and methods of documentation would allow me to clarify learning and generate qualitative data?

·       How is it for my alter-ego to work with other artist’s work?

·       In what ways is this space speculative? Traces / spectres of what’s gone before?

(I have not responded directly to these questions in this blog but will do so in another post. Particularly I want to write more about the theories of speculative spaces bringing in Foucault and others. )

Below is my emerging practice methodology - I developed it as a result of the Body in Performance Module – I’ll also be testing / using this for the first time in designing the experiments. It includes theoretical and artistic references.

Sketch out the performance experiments based on the methods / approach?

What were the performance experiments?

·       4x 30minute performance responses to the artworks in the exhibition – 25mins plus 5minute transition time - total duration was 2hrs 10am-12.00pm 8th April 2025

 · There are 4 alter-egos: Doris, Donnah, Tatyana and the little one – each alter-ego responds to one artwork and walks around the space, leaving traces / objects in each other’s spaces.

 ·       At the end of each of experiment / sketch there will be a collapse which mirrors cosmic events in the universe that collapse and re-form as something else.

 ·       Each alter-ego will respond in the moment, a broad outline will be in place, but it will be live and exploratory.

 ·       There is also the experiment as a whole and with the audience. The gallery is open to the public.

Communicate and articulate artistic decisions in the experiments  

Artwork: Ringdown by Conrad Shawcross

Alter-ego – Tatyana – responded in her own way exploring concepts of discipline and control in both an institutional (gallery) and cosmic setting. Based on the expanded rhizomatic research she used her ribbon skills  (operation/ technique) to interpret the phenomenon of the black holes merging and synthesize this with her gymnastics discipline (in contrast to the artists installation (see experiment 1 photo below.)

Artwork: Blind proliferation by Conrad Shawcross

Alter-ego - the little one – the key operation here was play. The alter-ego moved between three locations, next to and under each of the desks in the physicists’ desks, actions include shining a torch, using her magnifying glass, throwing dice and sitting on the floor by the edge of the light cage.

I chose to film a rehearsal of the alter-ego and project it into the space, giving the opportunity for playing with the projection, using mirroring, refraction and repetition operations.  This operation is new to me, it connected to ideas and emotions of wonderment and curiosity prompted by the piece; it engages with ideas of the multi-verse and quantum identities being present live. The costume and reflective materials used enhanced the refraction and multiplicities.  The first clip is Shawcross’s installation Blind Proliferation. Followed by 2 experiment photos below.)

Artwork: An Early Universe by Alistair McClymont

Alter-ego Donnah responded this piece,  she chose to move through three phases of the creation of a new universe… chaos, fluctuation, stasis. Donnah loves the chaos, rolls with fluctuation but stasis is new for her. She will intra-act with 3d printed sculptures (prototype models made by the scientists in dialogue with the artist. To me, this was an intense and primal performance which I haven’t quite processed yet, I have been doing some creative writing to help with this process.

Artwork: Begriff des Körpers by Daniela Brill Estrada and Monica C. LoCascio

Alter-ego Doris – responded to this installation. It was new to me to do a one-to-one performance based around comprehending the body in space. Exploring spacetime as it curves around objects, and particularly as it curves around the heart. In this experiment I used writing creatively from alter-ego Doris’s perspective, not my own – much as we did in the elective.

Identify and manage risks when engaging with the given methods / approach?

Isn’t performance art always a risky business?  I feel vulnerable every time I perform. In this case in a serious art centre, I was in a gallery where there hasn’t been any performance in the last ten years. I found it daunting but also a highly supportive environment.  

General risks

The curator involved me in their normal risk assessment, I have not included it here because of the word count but the technical risks included: testing of equipment to British Standards PAT, trip hazards – cables and props etc, obstructions e.g. to fire escape routes, filming privacy GDPR / data privacy protocols in the UK, obtaining permission from the public caught on camera, personal safety, slips falls, interfering with the other artists work (although I said I wouldn’t one of my alter-egos works with anger and dissent, she is unreliable.)    

The artists involved might not have given permission. I managed this by producing a detailed proposal and the curator reached out to them individually. Being specific about how and where I might use their work was important (as their work is in the documentation / film of my performance experiments.)

I am dealing with 3rd party intellectual property and binding my performance to it in a way I haven’t done before. I managed this by doing research, talking to other artists and being clear about how I present the work. Even so this felt like something I need to reflect more on.

i) Rhizomatic research – One risk and real nervousness of mine, is that taking a fluid, non-linear stream of consciousness approach to researching the topic is that the response it seen as trivial or pseudo-scientific, that in my lack of understanding there would be some friction (not a negative thing in my mind but something new for me.) I had to accept the overwhelm. In managing it I have been explicit in my programme notes that I am using the physics / science as a metaphor, allegory, aesthetic interpretation. As mentioned above, I realise I’m only starting with this research method / process.

ii) Site responsive / guerilla tactics – risk of the alter-egos in this space. Whilst they perform in the public space some of the alter-egos have not intra-acted before with an audience, one is pretty much always very angry and often destructive.  I am managing this through briefing the invigilators and relying on them enforcing agreements /  commitments in my proposal. I also had an invigilator (or assistant of my own, supporting me with costume and with timing issues – this was really helpful.) The risk that the alter-egos did not behave as themselves (or were constrained by the formal environment and over-controlled) was real – and with it the threat that the work suffered) but this did not materialise. The alter-ego Donnah fully expressed herself and took over the space in a full frank bodily way (and stormed out at the end.)

I also reflected on the politics of the experiments looking back to the questions raised in the elective. From the feedback I received , although I wasn’t aware of it at the time, the space was destabilised. The audience felt unsure of what to do when and how to react to some of the actions. The vulnerability I felt , was picked up by some members of the audience, the older female body in different forms appeared powerful at times, at others isolated, possibly offering a way out of the stereotypical constraints on women. 

iii) Creative writing – this worked for me well, there was the risk that the performance became scripted, but I trusted them and that worked.

The elective was very stimulating, the process of the performance experiments and this blog have provided me with a major learning experience in very new territory. It has also built my confidence to do more experimentation in my practice with new methods, to stretch and grow.

Are my alter-ego's real? They think therefore they are....

When Donnah one of my alter-ego’s smashed up an old colonial tea chest with a pick axe in a public square, the deputy manager of Specsavers opticians called the police. Her customers were scared. Despite the presence of a camera operator and support person explaining the nature of the performance, and the fact I had (sort of) permission, I chose to stop the performance and tried to explain. But Donnah did not want to stop, and carried on. I know there was part of me in that scenario thinking why should I stop, but had it been only people pleasing Dawn, it’s highly unlikely I doubt I would have continued.

A few people have asked me questions about the alter-egos, are they “taking over” and when is it really me “just acting.”? I would usually say something about the feeling in the moment, and the concept of a pendulum swinging in and out, sometimes slowly so there are longer periods when I feel totally immersed in one of the alter-egos and other times when Dawn/I are very close to the alter-ego and there are rapid and fluid transitions. (This is more in the realm of a “persona,” a constructed public face or role that blends the performative and the personal.) But it also depends on the alter-ego, how long i’ve worked with them, is it the start of the process and what they are doing and where. In the studio or my local park there where I am very comfortable, I can lose Dawn for hours. Although “I” am also always there.

This rings true, as my audience they know it’s not entirely Dawn they are watching but also it clearly isn’t….

This work with alter-ego’s has a long history with some fantastic artists I really admire (more on this later) there is a lot to learn from. Richard Schechner’s book mentioned in the previous blog and above , shares some relevant distinctions between the “make believe” - where an intentional boundary exists between the performance (on a stage for e.g.) and the everyday reality, and “make belief” where the performances intentionally blur the boundary. This rings true, as my audience they know it’s not entirely Dawn they are watching but also it clearly isn’t. My alter-ego’s have costumes but sometimes they don’t wear them.

My alter-egos are secondary identities that i’ve constructed, they allow me to explore facets of identity that are markedly different from me, they are deliberately crafted, sustained and experimental, they play with different normals. Like Lady Gaga I have an approach that links to the idea of a networked self/ selves. There isn’t one individual self, I distribute multiple potential selves across different fields / variations. You might meet Doris, Donnah, Tatyana or the little one in many different forms and contexts, thinking about different questions, making artworks in different forms, feeling themselves… in a non Cartesian dualistic way :)

Before the beginning... MA Performance ARTEZ Netherlands

The instant gratification monkey has been bane of my life in the run up to starting my MA in the Netherlands. Suddenly there’s only 2 weeks to go and the monkey in my brain is presenting me with all kinds of distractions - going for a bike ride, searching for new tracksuits online, watching the clouds roll in on what was a beautiful morning. Fortunately no visits (yet…arrrgggh) from the monkey’s mate - the panic monster.

I’ve known about the requirement to start a blog for months and this, my first post as an art student, has been a task I just couldn’t tick off. I’ve never found myself procrastinating before so Tim Urban’s TEDtalk on the subject was super helpful and its meant that here I am, writing.

Before we start the course, there’s been a summer reading list and lots of re-training my brain to read academic articles. I’m treating the list as a gift, some really interesting/dense stuff and it’s also forced me to practice reading on a screen. I usually need to print out difficult texts and scribble all over them but that’s not practical when you’re studying abroad and you can’t take reams of paper with you. I’ve reflected a lot on my writing and my art practice and am already starting to understand more about what I do and how it fits within a performance framework. Here’s one of the key texts that I’ve stuck with and will post more about that next time.

So just need to press save and publish and I can happily eat an ice cream in the park.

Coming Soon: In Our Shoes

Launching in January 2022, this inspiring book provides a unique learning and reflection opportunity for any professional working in the family justice system. It's a chance to understand what it’s really like to walk in the shoes of children and young people as they navigate often difficult family situations. From them, you'll gain a better awareness of how your work can influence their futures.

The engaging and diverse first-person testimonies of children and young people cover their experiences of family court proceedings, family conflict, and health and wellbeing, as well as demonstrating the positive impact that determined listening can have. Sometimes a challenging read, this book asks the reader to reflect on their interactions with young people, it’s a catalyst for change.

Our Futures Now: Barnsley 2030 - The Place of Possibilities

The launch of this inspiring new book brings Barnsley's vision 'the place of possibilities' to life. From the resilience shown during the pandemic to what people want to see, through real scenarios and imagined moments. These stories and poems glimpse the future and show what is at the heart of this borough: proud, confident, and determined people. 

And there’s a beautiful bold and seriously big (A2!) handmade version of the book by artist Cath Long. The big book is touring libraries around the borough with an invitation for residents and communities to add to the 50 stories in the book. This collection has a life of its own.   

Leading change , inspiring learners – London South East Education Group In conjunction with Christopher Noden

This book charts a compelling leadership journey in further education, the expansion from one college to a thriving education group with eight college campuses, eight schools and an apprenticeship provider. The story shows how positive and resilient leadership can continue to make an impact on learners and communities in challenging times.

“This remarkable transformation has only been made possible with the support of passionate and hardworking colleagues, staff – past and present, employer partners, governors, the DfE, supportive local authorities and government agencies, local schools and great students. In difficult circumstances, our progress demonstrates the truly great things that can be achieved when we have a shared common purpose.” Dr Sam Parrett OBE, Principal

One Story - Councils, Covid and Better Futures.

In February 2021 we are excited to launch One Story - Councils, Covid and Better Futures.

The book is a celebration of the true grit of people in councils and communities, which has been shown in spades during the pandemic. 60 councils and the communities they work with share compelling stories of what holds us together now and will continue to do so in future. Surprising, diverse and moving, this book captures the essence of public service. Compelling stories of what holds us together now and in the future.

HOT OFF THE SHARED PRESS: This Leader Can... Make a Difference on Equalities

Powerful and personal tales about the battle to achieve equality in leadership are at the heart of our latest book, book launched with Solace, the organisation for senior managers working in the public sector.

“This Leader Can…make a difference on equalities” includes true stories, told by senior leaders working in local government, highlighting how leaders are making a difference in their organisations – and where mindsets need to shift to deliver a step change on equalities and diversity.

The stories are about: *senior leaders coming out about disabilities and sexuality, *diversity and the bottom line, *the serious challenge on race diversity, *dealing with political pressure, *unconscious bias, *gendered attitudes and bullying, *serving diverse communities and managing conflict.

These stories pack a real punch. There are tips on how leaders are using their influence to make change in really complex situations and insight into the benefits that equality can bring in organisations that are really committed.

What make the stories so compelling is that they’re told by people who have been there, done that and know how it feels – these people are putting their heads above the parapet to make real change happen faster.

Jo Miller, Chief Executive of Doncaster Council and ex-President of Solace – the inspiration for the book said: “Great leaders know the importance of building truly diverse organisations where people trust and understand each other.

“This Leader Can is full of stories about people who are doing just that. Some of the stories also show how difficult it can be and how far we still have to go. But by sharing our stories and experiences in the way we’ve done in the book is an important first step in delivering change.”

Agilisys, who sponsored the publication said: “ It’s long past time for us all to recognise that diversity in leadership will help build stronger and more resilient public services. Together we can all help challenge the norm in local government and encourage under-represented groups to aim for the top.”

This Leader Can also includes practical advice and tips from experts on delivering equalities in organisations.

TOWN HALL Book Talk at Todmorden Book Festival

We'll be launching our beautiful coffee table book Town Hall - Buildings, people and power at Todmorden Book Festival this Sunday 18th November! Town Hall co-editor Dawn Reeves will be speaking about the book following a tour of the Town Hall by volunteers at 2pm, and a talk by Dr Emma Stafford, author of the Todmorden Town Hall guidebook. Advance copies of the book will be available, and there will be cake...join us!

If you can’t make it on Sunday, you can pre order your copy of the book (our at the end of the month) here.