Tag: Tempting Failure

News – September 2015

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I’ve been too quiet on here for too long, it’s been something of a hibernation – processing, planning, moving, re-adjusting – and now I feel like I’m getting back on track, so here’s some updates on some things:

Work

+ Last year I contributed to Thomas John Bacon’s piece ‘PERCEPTION:Lab’ which was performed this summer in Boston. I, along with 12 other artists, gave Thomas a sealed envelope containing an action that he would perform for an hour. Each action ‘was designed to stimulate the potential for failure through impossibility or risk’ and on 20 June Thomas opened each envelope in turn and perform it’s action, in an intense piece that lasted 13 hours. Find out more on Thomas John Bacon’s website. My contribution was Action 12.

+ After performing at Tempting Failure festival in each year it has run, I am very excited to say that this year I have joined the team as an Associate Producer and am looking forward to being able to share more news about Tempting Failure soon. For now check out the new website and like us on Facebook.

Union – at Tempting Failure 2014

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Hellen Burrough + Philip Bedwell

Union – in collaboration with Philip Bedwell.

We cease to be connected physically but now joined through the shared ritual and our mirror image bleeding bodies. We both carry our lives marked in and on our bodies. Scars, tattoos, injuries have inscribed us with our stories and our passions. It’s natural for us to mark our marriage in a similarly physical way, and although we are joined, legally and romantically, we continue to be separate, individual and independent.

Philip and I are returning to Tempting Failure this year, this time working together. Once again the line up is fantastic and the venue is an amazing, unique space.
For 2014 Tempting Failure are running a week of free events and workshops ahead of the nights of performance on the 7th-8th November. Well worth checking out the full programme.

FRI 7 NOV – 6.30pm

The Island, Bristol. Buy your tickets here.

September news – Spill Festival and Tempting Failure

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Suspension at The Double R Club

[Suspension performance at The Double R Club, photo by Sebastien Gracco de Lay]

Work

Lots to announce this month –

+ She was the universe at Spill Festival, 30th and 31st October. – Absolutely thrilled to be showing this new work in the Spill Festival National Platform.

+ Also at Spill, I’ll also be performing in The Queen’s Boudoir by Lauren Jane Williams on 1st November.

+ Union at Tempting Failure, 7 November – I’m very happy to be returning to Tempting Failure for the third year running to present a piece devised and performed with my husband, Philip Bedwell.

Reading

+ This is what it’s like to be at war with your body – Fascinating article on Apotemnophilia, Body integrity identity disorder (BIID) and those who voluntarily amputate their limbs.

+ An open letter to everyone who has told women don’t get too muscular – I’m really interested in the messages women are given about their bodies and their behavior, especially when it comes to sport, strength and fitness. This is just a great article on how these messages reflect gender roles and expectations.

+ Instruments for operating on mutant women gallery – Dead Ringers is one of my favorite films, this gallery contains some close up shots of the beautiful bizarre surgical instruments created for the film.

Watching

+ Ghost in the machine (Blood robot selfie) by Ted Lawson. ‘Artist, Ted Lawson, creates a life-sized self-portrait drawing, in his own blood, using a robot.’