side by side

http://www.siobhandavies.com/sidebyside/about/

For six weeks in the summer of 2012, Siobhan Davies Dance invited two artists to investigate the act and process of making, by working together as part of a residency programme. It was initiated by the insatiably curious Siobhan Davies and developed in partnership with the Crafts Study Centre, the artists and Programme Manager, Alison Proctor at Siobhan Davies Dance.

The project has grown out of continued enquiry into dialogues between dance and other art forms which Siobhan Davies Dance has been championing since 2008. This project is research into how art forms can grow and evolve, and is also an initiative directly supporting two artists in their journey as makers.

This website documents the period of investigation between dance artist Laila Diallo and craft artist Helen Carnac. During the residency it acted like a sketchbook, where they added images, text, audio and film each day. It was also used as a public space where visitors were invited to pose questions and share observations whilst the project unfolded.

What happened during the residency?

Laila Diallo and Helen Carnac worked in the same studio side by side; first at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham (11-29 June) then at Siobhan Davies Studios in London (16 July – 3 August). They were invited as makers to consider a series of questions acting as starting points to delve into the processes behind and leading to making.

Can the artist of one medium broaden the enquiry of the other?
How can we unpeel the early stages of collaboration?
Do artists have common questions that trigger a work into being?
How does an artist arrive at their thinking whilst making adjustments as their life evolves?

The presentation of finished work was not the focus of this residency. What interested us all was the investigation of how to make work with each other in mind in the future. As part of the residency, and to encourage and challenge the artists, four contributors were also invited to interact with them.