Photography @ ChakHinLeung
Paper Ghosts was a work-in-progress performance and the summit of my Festive Artist Residency with Eden Court (October 2021-January 2023). The residency was funded by the National Lottery via Creative Scotland and was one of the Youth Arts Bursaries.
The residency, Folklore & Yuletide, was proposed as an exploration of new ways to reconnect to the Festive season at a time when Christmas has become a celebration of Capitalism and the Patriarchy. With Sophie Wink (performer), I embarked upon a devising process, using physical theatres and puppetry, to discover what the festive season is really about.
The performance was inspired by research about the histories and mythologies surrounding the festive season in the Highlands, but what stuck was that Solstice is the rebirth of the sun, and that the darkest days of the year mean that ghosts walk among us.
This residency and performance was a valuable opportunity for me to begin developing and interrogating my own practice as an emerging director. With key influences in Butoh and the Laban-Bartenieff Movement System, I am developing a style of physical theatre with roots in Feminism and embodiment. This practice is largely influenced by my Masters research, and is part of my wider practice as a director, which is grounded by the principals of care, facilitation, and emergence.
In April 2023, we developed the piece further, exploring whether it could exist outwith the festive period. We worked alongside Jacob Reid from Beggar in the Heights who is creating the music to accompany the piece.
Laura Valerie Walker 