Laura Murphy - " A Spectacle of Herself"

Peter Anderson • Apr 19, 2024

Join Laura Murphy on a mission to serve herself up (in)appropriately for your consumption, in a bold, cinematic, acrobatic odyssey through the frontiers of mental health, queerness, rage and the 21st Century space race. Contemporary performance maker and circus artist Laura brings her solo show "A Spectacle of Herself", fusing aerial rope, theatre and creative captioning to Battersea Arts Centre between 23rd & 27th April.


Directed by Ursula Martinez, with Laura’s critical and cheeky signature mix of autobiography, lip-sync, video and aerial rope, A Spectacle of Herself navigates the personal and political, to seek out new worlds and ways to be seen. A Spectacle of Herself builds on the momentum from Laura’s debut show Contra, which interrogated personal, social and historical occupations of the female body and was a cult hit at Summerhall in 2019 earning a Total Theatre award nomination.


Laura Murphy comments: "A Spectacle of Herself is a show about what it means to occupy space and the way in which different spaces transform how we are seen. As Kae Tempest recently described it, exceptional behaviour can make you a target, but in another context it can make you safe. My experience of theatre is a reflection of this, as it’s a space where my difference and the behaviours and characteristics I mask in daily life, are accepted and enjoyed."


"So for me the often outsider identity of the circus performer extends beyond acrobatics, into performances of human emotion, neurodivergence and gender queerness, experiences and expressions that in many spaces still don’t feel acceptable. As an artist and writer, I often explore personal autobiographical experiences in contrast to and in relationship with broader social narratives."


"Political events over the last three years have particularly led me to question myself, my identity and the place that I and others occupy in the world. With A Spectacle of Herself, I wanted to explore the link between mental health and personal identity, in tandem with these bigger scale political expressions of space-taking, including the "space race" led by billionaires to colonise Mars and the global climate disaster we are witnessing. Patriarchy and objectification are central themes in this work, given the way that space is often policed, organised and monopolised."


Laura Murphy is a genre defying queer and neurodivergent performance maker from Bristol. Her work is cross-disciplinary fusion of theatre, live art, aerial choreography, dance and verbal explosions, which integrate intimacy and spectacle. She is a circus next laureate and gained a total theatre award nomination for her first solo show Contra in 2019. The show went on to tour to 11 countries with subtitles in three languages, building enduring relationships between the company and the wider European circus sector.


She is known for her innovative approach to circus performance and has recently collaborated with Scottee, Peaches, Terry O’Connor & Dickie Beau. She holds a PhD investigating aerial work’s potential as a critically engaged practice and its use as a vehicle for social and political propaganda and has taught practice as research at international circus institutions including Circomedia, the National Centre for Circus Arts & Stockholm University of the Arts.


Laura is someone highly skilled in the crossover between circus and theatre skills. "A Spectacle of Herself" will more than likely be as successful as Contra. For your opportunity to see the show at Battersea, the link is here - bac.org.uk/a-spectacle-of-herself


Image above (c) Holly Revell

Peterborough Presents - Celebrating 10 years of creativity

By Peter Anderson • 16 May, 2024
In 2024 Peterborough Presents is celebrating 10 years of working with communities across the city to create great ‘art’. Mention the arts and people naturally think of galleries and theatres. For the last 10 years, arts organisation Peterborough Presents has been working with people from across the city to show that it is this and so much more. It can mean circuses, folk tales, street murals, poetry on the walls at the Lido, Zombie Walks at Diwali, being serenaded by violins whilst in a hot tub at Thorpe Meadows, going on magical history tours and creating lantern parades. It can mean carnivals at Millfield Festival, weekly craft groups or even doing up your local street with colourful planters. For their birthday, the Peterborough Presents team want to celebrate all the ways in which you can be creative and encourage you to get creative too. Their 10th birthday is as ambitious as ever! It kicks-off at Peterborough Celebrates Festival on 18th & 19th May at Ferry Meadows. Peterborough Presents will be taking over the ‘creative dome’. In there you can watch amazing carnival performances by Mandinga Arts or get involved in drawing and making sessions. Of course, there will be some party games too! Artist Rose Croft is currently working with groups from across the city to create colourful garlands and artworks from recycled materials that will decorate the Creative Dome. With funding from Arts Council England, Peterborough Presents has been working with people of all ages and backgrounds. Programme Director Sarah Haythornthwaite says “ There’s a lot of creativity in Peterborough and also energy to try something different. 10 years is a proper milestone too. Over those years we have had the pleasure, and honour, of working with specific neighbourhoods in the city to create projects alongside local residents. We don’t tell people what ‘arts’ they need." "We start by getting to know people, find out what inspires them, what's missing and then we create something together. It makes every project and every neighbourhood unique. We have seen people make new friends, learn new skills, even seen communities come together for the first time. They have looked at their neighbourhood in a different way and found creative ways to shout about something important to them. We’ve worked with some amazing established artists but have also helped to support some fabulous new ones too. Above all, we’ve had fun!” The birthday celebrations will continue throughout the year with community-led creative programmes in Millfield, Westwood, Eye, and beyond. Highlights include the Millfield Makers event in August, Eye Lantern Parade in November and film projects with young people in Westwood. You can expect some short films, podcasts and digital artwork released online too. Sarah continues “ The Peterborough Presents programme has provided thousands of people the opportunity to be part of creative activities over the last 10 years. We enjoy working closely with communities to co-produce our programme so that residents can experience art on their doorstep – projects that are relevant and fun!! A party isn’t a party unless others join us on the dance floor. So, we’re inviting you all to come and join us at Peterborough Celebrates and have a go at being a bit creative. ” Peterborough Presents is hosted by Nene Park Trust and supported by Metal, Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Council for Voluntary Services, Eastern Angles and Creative Lives. The programme is funded by Arts Council England.You can find out more about by visiting www.peterboroughpresents.org . To find out more about Peterborough Celebrates visit www.peterboroughcelebratesfestival.co.uk

Fältsånger perform at The Pyramid

By Peter Anderson • 16 May, 2024
Placing as much importance on the visual aspect as the music, Fältsånger strives to make each concert an experience, with unique opening films that draw the audience into their world before emerging from the shadows to blend into the psychedelic projections that flood the stage as the music blossoms. Fältsånger are perhaps best described as psychedelic electronica. Or maybe ambient space rock. Or even experimental muzak. Whatever the label, their music is uniquely their own. Coming from Warrington, the band appeared in 2023 with a few releases across streaming platforms and a small number of highly visual concerts at select venues. Believing in a "live is best" approach, the band rarely writes traditional songs, usually relying on fate to deliver songs through extended jams. Often these jams require an element of editing to bring them down to digestible lengths, although sometimes, as was the case with The Moon Shimmers With Secrets, a full album can appear entirely through live, and unedited, improvisation. Described recently as "the most innovative band around", their fans find them reminiscent of Tangerine Dream, The Orb, Herbie Hancock, Gong, Spaceheads, Ryksöpp, and even Manuel Göttsching, the band cites few of these as influences. No doubt if you are fans of these groups, Fältsånger could be well worth considering as an addition to your Spotify playlists. Alternatively, you could join the audience at Warrington's Pyramid Arts Centre, this Saturday. Sit back close your eyes and be whisked from the angst of the modern world. Fältsånger are looking to start making appearances further afield, but for now, to experience them you will have to travel to Warrington. Here is your link for tickets and further info' https://linktr.ee/faltsanger
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