CoCA Curatorial Intern Bridget Harris reflects on the first youth workshop led by artist Audrey Baldwin

This past Saturday we had the first of four workshops with local artist Audrey Baldwin. This workshop series revolves around performance art and identity with the final outcome set to be a performance art work developed and performed by those who attend the workshops.

We opened with Audrey performing For Your Entertainment (first performed in 2015) – a piece where she sat in the centre of the room with a cone filled with popcorn covering her head. Upon walking in, we were immediately forced to interact with Audrey – or what we were able to see of her. This resulted in some fantastic discussions around the performance art, the body and identity. What did it mean that Audrey’s head was covered but her body was still visible? How did we relate this to perceptions of female identities, especially in the media?

After a chat about the history of performance art, a brief overview of several key artists and Audrey’s history in Christchurch as a performance artist, the group went on to discuss what identity meant to them, while thinking about the performance they are to put on at Spark Park on the 24th of September. Put the date in your diary!

Naturally, the discussions revolved around our identities as citizens of post-quake Christchurch and how this affects daily life in the city. The next workshop will focus in on these feelings of what it means to be a young person in post-quake Christchurch and how these ideas can be explored through performance art. We’re also going to get into the practical side of producing performance art - health and safety, planning, and professional development as artists. I’m pretty excited to see where the group takes these ideas and how their performance develops.

Thanks to Christchurch City Council Transitional Funding for supporting these workshops, to Life in Vacant Spaces and to White Elephant for their collaboration.  Photo credits:Daniela Aebli