Peckham Space 2012 Polly Bagnall (painter) and Ricky Edwards (musician)
Both artist and musician respond to each other and the ambient environment. We translate the sensory elements we are aware of- sound, light, buses, movement in the room etc into musical notes and visual marks. A spontaneous improvisation takes place in the genre of free jazz or action painting.
In the performance at Peckham Space I had a range of objects that I attached to my arms, legs, hands, feet, head and body. I did not plan which of these I would use. My selection was intuitive so I began using my bottom (with bum-pads attached to my shorts), then my foot (with a synthetic duster attached to a beach shoe). I also used: a bobble hat, my tongue, hands and fingers, scourers and pads attached to my elbows and knees. Why paint in this unorthodox way? I have discovered that I can express my more primal feelings through movement and dance, an area in which I have no formal training. I therefore make painting tools that can mark my movements, for example pads attached to my bum, a duster attached to my feet, or wax crayons set into a knee-pad. These devices create unpredictable results. I try to avoid seeing what I am doing, but as an experienced artist I do have a good idea of what quality of mark might be generated and the general composition of the painting. The risk in moving away from the traditional hand/eye diad is that the results look unaccomplished, but the potential is for something spontaneous and worthwhile to occur.
This was our first performance to a live audience. Taking the performance out of the studio setting into a gallery presented practical issues- there was limited paint-friendly space and time constraints. At one point I incorporated a theatrical cleaning and wiping of the surrounding floor and wall. This theme of cleaning and domesticity is echoed in the tools I use and important in much of my work.
Thoughts on painting 