Can I Have A Word With You?
raindance film school dubai
INSTALLATION: Can I Have A Word With You? (2022)
MEDIUM: Photography, videography and graphic design
RATIONALE: A digital word cloud pulls quotes directly from Collab Company's production of Antigone Retold and projects these onto a wall within the theatre space. As participants disrupt the path of the phraseology projection, they become the subject and object of the artwork. They activate the power of words to overwhelm the body, and are able to perform something within that space to further engage the concept of literature, film, photography and the semiotic idea of the words staged to be present on both the body and its environment, much like the influence of the media in the 21st century.
ARTISTS: Andrew Smith and Matthew Corbett of Raindance Film School Dubai (in collaboration with Lauren Noble)
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: Studying film in a dynamic city like Dubai gives you access to a huge variety of people and cultures from which to gain inspiration. Learning from active professionals in the industry and designing your course of study, Raindance Film School Dubai provide the equipment and the know-how to let your filmmaking career take shape. Their courses, classes and workshops are some of the most popular in the world, spanning disciplines and crafts such as screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, special effects, editing, lighting, sound and short filmmaking. Raindance is delighted to collaborate with the cast and crew of Antigone Retold and are looking forward to forging more connections with other artists across other creative industries, giving Raindance students unique and innovative opportunities within this region.
The Agora of Aristotle
moderated by lamya tawfik
INSTALLATION: The Agora of Aristotle (2022)
MEDIUM: Conversational dialogue
RATIONALE: The Agora of Athens was a space renowned for its devotion to Athena, goddess of war and wisdom. Women were therefore given the opportunity to play a far more pronounced role within this public space in ancient times. Our installation is The Agora of Aristotle which uses the fundamentals of dramatic critique as presented by Aristotle in The Poetics to encourage the art of discussion, literary analysis, critical discourse and open dialogue in a way that not only permits participants to speak up but to also consider different perspectives. Collaborating with our cultural partner, Emirates LitFest, brought this educational installation to life through the power of literature. Lamya Tawfik played a pivotal role as our moderator in the space, encouraging our theatre audience to delve more deeply into their analytical skills and claim their opinions about the production no matter whether they were positive or negative, whether they agreed or disagreed.
CULTURAL PARTNER: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
ARTIST: Lamya Tawfik (in collaboration with Lauren Noble )
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: Lamya Tawfik is an Egyptian journalist presenter and performing artist, actress and storyteller. Her performing arts journey started in 2009. Since then she has performed in English, Arabic and Italian with several theatre groups in Dubai including Danú, Dubai Drama Group, ITACA, DramaDonne, Artbox Group and Pappagallo Productions. As a storyteller, she has performed in many children's events, storytelling festivals and also told stories at the Sharjah International Book Fair and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the American University in Cairo and a Doctorate Degree in Childhood Studies from the Mass Communication and Child Culture Department, Institute for Postgraduate Childhood Studies at Ain Shams University in Cairo. She is currently studying to be a certified Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapies Practitioner
The Tree of Hope
dryad education
INSTALLATION: The Tree of Hope (2022)
MEDIUM: Paper, markers, wire, mod-mesh and mod-roc
RATIONALE: The Tree of Hope is crafted to represent a wintery baobab tree, devoid of hope in its bareness. But then something artistic takes root... through the collaborative efforts of multiple artists working together, our audience creates their own redacted poetry using pages torn from Sophocles' Antigone and places them upon the tree in a way that breathes life back into its branches. This installation consciously makes use of art as the catalysing agent for sustainable social impact - which is what Team AngelWolf do to pave the way for community, active living and adventure for all. Together with our arts education sponsor, Dryad Education, and all installation participants, we created art that excluded no one. This is inclusive impactivity in action!
EDUCATIONAL PARTNER: Dryad Education
CONSTRUCTION ARTISTS: Lauren Noble, Sashin Kandhai, Dryad Education and Girl Up On Stage
CONCEPTUAL ARTIST: Team AngelWolf
CONCEPTUAL ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: Team AngelWolf is a non-profit foundation that promotes an active lifestyle together with People of Determination (people with disabilities). "We first met Collab Company when their Artist in Residence volunteered to assist with leading an inclusive dance routine for one of our community events. We saw first hand how openly and beautifully they embraced our mission for Inclusive Impactivity. From there the connection began and all the alignments came obvious. The mutual desire, passion and commitment to collectively and creatively connect community, where everyone (whatever their age or ability) is equally welcome. The Tree Of Hope is special to us… to us it is a symbol. A symbol that we can all unite and be part of, we can all add to its magical story, that will unfold. We all need hope for different reasons, but for the collective good. We hope for change. A change in perspective with inclusion, a change for a more positive, kinder, happier, global community, where everyone is included."
The Sisyphean Staircase
live performance art
BABOOSHKA BY KATE BUSH:
Katherine Jones (conceptual collab with Kirin Hilliar and Lauren Noble)
She sent him scented letters
And he received them with a strange delight
Just like his wife
But how she was before the tears
And how she was before the years flew by
And how she was when she was beautiful
​​
WHEN I GROW UP BY THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS:
Sasha Topic (conceptual collab with Kirin Hilliar and Lauren Noble)
Be careful what you wish for
'Cause you just might get it
You just might get it
QUEEN OF QUEENS:
Tiffany Hunter and Kimberley Ball (artistic collab with Lauren Noble)
​This piece was inspired by Lauren Nobles’ original play Checkmate. The Queen's role is the most powerful on the chess board, making her vulnerable, a target. The Queen is sacrificed for a better position, falling under the king’s command. More powerful than the king yet the game can continue without the Queen… but never the king. This piece is a result of women being navigated through life regardless of their power or capabilities. This relates to Antigone’s strong and fierce nature, yet she is bound to be commanded like a piece on a board. Sacrificed, traded for a status or reputation. We are delighted to participate in such a powerful message, to pave the way for the next generation to know their power and to be a voice for the Queen’s that came before us… we will be your declaration.
SLEEPING BEAUTY:
Sophia and Lucia Cafoor-Camps (conceptual collab with Lauren Noble)
But my secret is hidden within me;
no one will know my name!
No, no! On your mouth,
I will say it when the light shines!
And my kiss will dissolve
the silence that makes you mine!​
The Gilded Cage
girl up on stage
INSTALLATION: The Gilded Cage of Aphrodite (2022)
MEDIUM: Photography, content creation and stage design
RATIONALE: Aphrodite and Calliope have opposing views about her Gilded Cage. What do you think?
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CALLIOPE: Aphrodite? When exactly did you abandon our original concept for your tale in favour of presenting an entire thesis defence from inside a cage?
APHRODITE: My tech rider definitely specified a glittery cage with a smidge of floral accents!
CALLIOPE: Yes… but it’s still a cage?!
APHRODITE: Oh, I’m a little confused. (She giggles) Are you saying that people stop listening to the singing when the bird is inside her cage?
Athena enters the staircase space again, a bit more muted after her incident earlier.
ATHENA: Just because you choose not to see your own cage doesn’t mean it isn’t there, Muse.
CALLIOPE: Aphrodite, I just think you’re sending mixed messages to your audience.
APHRODITE: I appreciate your interpretation, Calliope. And I also disagree with it. (She gets out of the cage and locks the gate behind her) You heard what I said earlier, right? Everything about our reality is a construct. And I choose to construct my own platform in a way that suits me and my personality.
CALLIOPE: Well, it certainly got their attention…
APHRODITE: Exactly! And there was nothing Clumsy about that… (She exits with a kiss in a flurry of pink glitter. The remaining Devils serve snaps)
ARTISTS: Girl Up On Stage (in collaboration with Lauren Noble and Sashin Kandhai)
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: Girl Up On Stage are a charismatic group of young women and allies who seek to use the realm of the stage to spread their message of conscious feminism.