HI, I’m having problems with my video posts - but I’m working on it.
If you can’t see them on the Artworks page you can view them on You Tube.
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for ‘A Bird in the Hand‘

for ‘Lines of Enquiry 1′

for ‘Lines of Enquiry ii’

for ‘In Concert 1′

for ‘Watch Your Back’

for ‘Tiger’

for ‘Gwawr Gwaith Powdwr’

for ‘Ben Bodhran’

Gwawr Gwaith Powdwr (Explosive Works Dawn)

Gwawr Gwaith Powdwr is a film that celebrates the new dawn of use for this landscape. Until very recently this was the site of an explosives factory for the local mines.
Now the land is being returned to nature and open to the public for walks.

This film was commissioned for and premiered a
“Have a Blast” Wildlife and Art Festival,
Gwaith Powdwr Nature Reserve, Penrhyndeudreath 24/25 July 2010.

Commissioned by Discover Gwynedd for the London 2010 Cultural Olympiad.

View the film on the Artworks page.

Tiger

I was allowed into the Tiger cage at the Welsh Mountain Zoo to draw at close quarters using the digital projection technique. It was a fantastic hour. The head keeper was with me and we had agreed that at the first sign of any distress the Tiger would be let out. He had just been fed so I don’t think he was viewing me as seconds. The space was very constricted but just big enough. Bryn the Tiger settled quite quickly and even seemed to enjoy being in the space with me. He was calm except when I moved or changed the paper or water. He then let me know he was watching me with a bit of a roar or growl. The keeper said he wasn’t being particularly aggressive, that it was just ‘Tiger’. Perhaps because I have lived with cats all my life I wasn’t phased, they really are big cats. He was very co-operative and allowed me to draw for an hour before letting us know he had had enough, at which point we let him out straight away. I did a few drawings, I’m happy with two or three and edited this film to demonstrate the process and share with you the excitement of being this close, this intimate with a tiger.

See the film Tiger on the artworks page.

Tiger

My new, very personal film, Watch Your Back is now available to view on the Artwork page. The performance took place in the middle of the night. I worked instinctively then formed the piece through the editing process.

Watch Your Back 2010

New edits of the films ‘Lines of Enquiry’ are now ready to be viewed - see them on my Artwork page.
Also see the first edit of ‘In Concert’. This experimental performance with my PhD supervisor took place at The School of Art, Aberystwyth in March. More films will follow.

'In Concert' drawn during performance

View the first edit of the In Concert performance on the Artwork page.

drawing made during performance 2010

The next version is now available…see Artwork.

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This work happened in October 2009 but I have only just finished editing this first film. There will be others to follow. Sean Feldman dances, Lisa Knapp sings and I am drawing using the digital projection set up. We are feeling our way with the work, listening to each other and our intuition.To view the film see the Artwork page.

Lines of Enquiry 1

Drawing sonic art. Maria Hayes and John Harvey

The day ran from 11 - 5. We had never worked together before and it took a while to feel our way into the work although it happened organically and relatively easily. It was a risk to be so transparent in our practices but proved provocative both to each other and to our nomadic audience. I made 14 drawings over the day which were timed with each sonic piece. The most frequently asked question was “Who starts?” and “How do you know when to stop?” As with jazz musicians improvising together, you feel it. Sometimes it was obvious who started or who was leading and following at any one time, but the magic moments occurred when all we were aware of was being in the moment, with the sound and the image dancing a tango. Both of equal importance, both maintaining their own particularities and space yet the dancers indistinguishable from the dance.

grimm_tales_a4_poster-final

A short production that explores the religious symbolism in the brothers Grimm’s versions of Cinderella, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood.

The stories (brilliantly adapted by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy) are read by Jeany Spark, who’s currently featuring as Kenneth Brannagh’s daughter in the BAFTA Award-winning TV series ‘Wallander’.

The production includes songs specially written by Nick Bicat and Philip Ridley, and recorded by (amongst others) Peter Knight of Steeleye Span and Maartin Allcock, formerly of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull.

Grimm Tales takes place at 2pm on Saturday 27 March in Christ Church
Cathedral, Oxford, as part of the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival.
Tickets are £10 and available in advance from the box office on 0870-343
1001 or www.oxfordliteraryfestival.com