Matthew Rawcliffe

  I’m back to writing today, trying to structure the theories presented in Ahmed’s Queer Phenomenology as a framework for experimental learning. I’m taking a lot from this: In a way, the utterance “I can” points to the future only insofar as it inherits the past, as the accumulation of what the body has already done, as well as what is “behind” the body, the conditions of its arrival. The body emerges from this history of doing, which is also a history of not doing, of paths not taken, which also involves the loss, impossible to know or even register, of what might have followed from such paths. As such, the body is directed as a condition of its arrival, and as a direction that gives the body its line. ( Ahmed, 2006) I spend a lot of my practice cutting up small pieces of paper, gluing things together and typing things out painfully slowly on my typewriter. Sometimes I feel like this is more akin to a childish art project, I begin to question why I have arrived at this point. Mayb...

I’m not sure what to write about today. I’m digesting. My brain is both full and empty. I need a structure. I want to be in charge of it and at its mercy.   I want to offer it to you as a thing. So - I decided I would design a little online scavenger hunt, four prompts that will give me four words. I will then have to write a paragraph about each word I have. Here is the structure I designed if you would like to give it a go: Using your favourite search engine, do each of the following tasks: search for “[name of a famous person] fashion disaster!” and take the second word of the second search result search for “[the amount of pets you have] ways to get rich” and take the third word of the description of the most bizarre result that comes up search for “is quentin tarantino [pick your favourite suggested autocomplete]?” and click on the first link - take the first word of the second paragraph. search for “[somewhere you think is beautiful]” - go to images and select the first im...

I was thinking around the framework of our meetings and something that Helen introduced in approaching the conversation as an improvisation with the same rules of the yes and game. So maybe I will start focusing on this as it’s a common framework, and because I have an embodied understanding of it through exploration in the studio. I can try to look at some theories within it. Firstly, my own theories that I bring to open improvisation can set the tone of what I’m searching for. If we decide that the purpose of yes and is to drive the material forward and to listen, then I have many questions to stretch and exist within this as a framework. These are things I’m searching for in my practice of dance improvisation in a group… but maybe they can also apply to conversation.   how can i say yes and whilst also saying: no absolutely not maybe but i’m not sure but what about this yes but i don’t know why no but i don’t know why this is not interesting to me i want to go somewhere else b...

I've been reflecting on scores, rules, frameworks and tasks within choreographic practice. Two of the below illustrations are from my own work, one is a work I experienced as a performer. 1. Matthew Rawcliffe's hockey or watching the daisies grow (2019) 2. Maria Ulriksson's Magnet (2020) 3. Mathew Rawcliffe's Mrs Dalloway: The One Man Show (2022) - My Three Suns - Futurama, Season 1, Episode 7

day one of the autism, children and dance forum at pavilion dance south west (bournemouth) I am back practicing - it feels so good! I’m in the UK for two days. It’s the culmination of two years of discussions with PDSW about autism friendly dance and now we have a forum together - there’s flyers and everything! I’m performing a solo that I’ve never performed before, it’s something I designed on someone else that’s found it’s way back to me. I have my amazing autism keyworker, Hannah Miles, delivering the practical workshop before this performance, and I will be leading a separate CPD session giving an insight to my process towards autism-friendliness. We lead two school sessions (totalling 90 participants) each including a practical workshop and a performance. The workshops are inspired by the autism-friendly performance I created ‘The Crisp Sandwich Cafe’. This is our first time leaving our cafe and we visit two classes from a specialist school. I just want to highlight some moments s...