Portfolio
Marilyn Monroe Series (2017)
Act One: Born To Die
First of a series of performances and poetry about my idol, Marilyn Monroe, which explores themes of body image, femininity, beauty standards, mental health, and society's expectations of women.
I was still throughout the performance, while a recorded script set to music played.
The audience were invited into the space to place flowers on my body.
Shown at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2017).
Act One: Born To Die
First of a series of performances and poetry about my idol, Marilyn Monroe, which explores themes of body image, femininity, beauty standards, mental health, and society's expectations of women.
I was still throughout the performance, while a recorded script set to music played.
The audience were invited into the space to place flowers on my body.
Shown at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2017).
The first poem in the Marilyn Monroe series, Idol, was performed at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2017).
The poem explored Monroe's fame, idolisation and mental health.
The poem explored Monroe's fame, idolisation and mental health.
Human Doll (2017)
Inspired by the concept of the Barbie doll and children's play, this performance was an art installation that explored using the body as a canvas and mode of expression. As the doll, I did not move and did not speak. Participants could choose from a range of clothing, wigs, shoes, jewellery, make-up, arty materials such as paint and glitter, stickers, accessories, and objects relating to beauty, such as a hairbrush.
Shown at Worcestershire Pride (2017).
Inspired by the concept of the Barbie doll and children's play, this performance was an art installation that explored using the body as a canvas and mode of expression. As the doll, I did not move and did not speak. Participants could choose from a range of clothing, wigs, shoes, jewellery, make-up, arty materials such as paint and glitter, stickers, accessories, and objects relating to beauty, such as a hairbrush.
Shown at Worcestershire Pride (2017).
About A Girl (2017)
Live 1-1 performance with an audience.
This performance was a re-written and re-imagined version of the original that premiered at Acts of Searching Closely Festival in London (2016). Based on my personal experiences with my first love and ex-girlfriend and discrimination about my bisexuality, this performance explored themes of sexuality, discrimination, self-love and acceptance. Shown at a sexuality in performance showcase as part of Worcestershire Pride (2017).
Participants were invited into the bed and I whispered the words into their ears so that only they could hear. The performance concluded with participants being led to a mirror, where their blindfold was removed and they were asked to describe three things that they loved about themselves in an effort to inspire positive body image and self-acceptance.
An audience was allowed to view the space from a distance as an exploration of surveillance and judgement, which related to parts of the text that talked about my personal experience of being bisexual in a non-accepting peer group and the feeling of constantly being scrutinised and judged.
The blindfold was used to help my participants to be able to concentrate on the words and to not be distracted by the audience, but to simply feel the uncomfortable presence of others watching.
Live 1-1 performance with an audience.
This performance was a re-written and re-imagined version of the original that premiered at Acts of Searching Closely Festival in London (2016). Based on my personal experiences with my first love and ex-girlfriend and discrimination about my bisexuality, this performance explored themes of sexuality, discrimination, self-love and acceptance. Shown at a sexuality in performance showcase as part of Worcestershire Pride (2017).
Participants were invited into the bed and I whispered the words into their ears so that only they could hear. The performance concluded with participants being led to a mirror, where their blindfold was removed and they were asked to describe three things that they loved about themselves in an effort to inspire positive body image and self-acceptance.
An audience was allowed to view the space from a distance as an exploration of surveillance and judgement, which related to parts of the text that talked about my personal experience of being bisexual in a non-accepting peer group and the feeling of constantly being scrutinised and judged.
The blindfold was used to help my participants to be able to concentrate on the words and to not be distracted by the audience, but to simply feel the uncomfortable presence of others watching.
1-1 Performances at Acts of Searching Closely Festival (2016)
I presented four intimate performances at Acts of Searching Closely Festival in London, including 1-1s and two new pieces, The Sun And The Moon, a candid look at mental illness, idolisation of parental figures and how abuse in childhood can shape adulthood and About A Girl, about my personal experience of being a bisexual teen in a non-accepting environment, set in an installation of my childhood bedroom. A confession, love letter and apology to my first love. This performance explored love and sexuality and questions whether traditional gender roles box us in.
Re-workings of previous performances included an intimate 1-1 performance of Ghosts that premiered at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2016), in which I blindfolded participants and whispered the story into their ear while the November wind howled around them; and a 1-1 version of Homebound, an interactive research-led piece first performed in 2014 for my final performance of my first year of university, based on my personal experiences of domestic abuse and interviews with other survivors of domestic abuse and presented scenarios of how women could unwillingly be drawn into in abusive relationships and the reasons why they might not feel that they can leave. There were three parts to the performance which were treated as three mini 1-1s and members of the audience were invited on stage to become characters in the piece.
I built the pop-up installation space on the day to be a safe enclosed space for participants and repeated the performances inside the space throughout the day.
I presented four intimate performances at Acts of Searching Closely Festival in London, including 1-1s and two new pieces, The Sun And The Moon, a candid look at mental illness, idolisation of parental figures and how abuse in childhood can shape adulthood and About A Girl, about my personal experience of being a bisexual teen in a non-accepting environment, set in an installation of my childhood bedroom. A confession, love letter and apology to my first love. This performance explored love and sexuality and questions whether traditional gender roles box us in.
Re-workings of previous performances included an intimate 1-1 performance of Ghosts that premiered at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2016), in which I blindfolded participants and whispered the story into their ear while the November wind howled around them; and a 1-1 version of Homebound, an interactive research-led piece first performed in 2014 for my final performance of my first year of university, based on my personal experiences of domestic abuse and interviews with other survivors of domestic abuse and presented scenarios of how women could unwillingly be drawn into in abusive relationships and the reasons why they might not feel that they can leave. There were three parts to the performance which were treated as three mini 1-1s and members of the audience were invited on stage to become characters in the piece.
I built the pop-up installation space on the day to be a safe enclosed space for participants and repeated the performances inside the space throughout the day.
Ghosts (2016)
A ghost story of a sort... a script about psychosis to raise awareness of the condition.
Premiered at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2016). The event focused on mental health awareness.
Image credit: Charley Barnes.
A ghost story of a sort... a script about psychosis to raise awareness of the condition.
Premiered at Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe (2016). The event focused on mental health awareness.
Image credit: Charley Barnes.
Memories (2016)
Live 1-1 with an audience.
An exploration of my feelings around my mother leaving and discovering that the people we admire don't always live up to our expectations. Memories questioned how a child's admiration of and longing for an absent parent can affect self-image and feelings of security in adulthood, and played with the idea of idolisation of parents with an adult performer trying to look like her mother and re-enact memories of her childhood with a stranger.
Live 1-1 with an audience.
An exploration of my feelings around my mother leaving and discovering that the people we admire don't always live up to our expectations. Memories questioned how a child's admiration of and longing for an absent parent can affect self-image and feelings of security in adulthood, and played with the idea of idolisation of parents with an adult performer trying to look like her mother and re-enact memories of her childhood with a stranger.
Paint Me Happy (2016)
Part physical theatre/ part dance/ part exploration of physical boundaries/ and a MASSIVE paint fight!
Paint Me Happy was an exploration into how we can express our emotions and communicate with each other using touch and dance instead of speech. The movements were partly choreographed and partly left to instinct and improvisation and alternated between pulling the participant closer and pushing them away. The idea of reacting to emotions with instinctive movement was inspired by the mood swings in bipolar disorder, and each of the four colours of paint represented different emotions that influenced the movement.
Part physical theatre/ part dance/ part exploration of physical boundaries/ and a MASSIVE paint fight!
Paint Me Happy was an exploration into how we can express our emotions and communicate with each other using touch and dance instead of speech. The movements were partly choreographed and partly left to instinct and improvisation and alternated between pulling the participant closer and pushing them away. The idea of reacting to emotions with instinctive movement was inspired by the mood swings in bipolar disorder, and each of the four colours of paint represented different emotions that influenced the movement.
RED (2016)
My final degree show at the University of Worcester, inspired by performance artist Marina Abramovic, whose work I had studied in depth for my dissertation. This was my first exploration of using the body in performance and as a mode of expression.
This performance particularly focused on the female body, the connection between the female body and food, and beauty ideals. It also explored themes of sexuality, peer pressure, passivity, notions of control and 'the crowd mentality'.
I did not move or speak and was essentially a blank canvas for audiences to create art with/on. Audience could chose from a range of items primarily associated with women such as make-up, mirrors, clothing, thread, roses and arty materials. A camera was included as an object which gave participants the opportunity to take photographs.
As the module's focus was digital media, the performance was live-streamed to a screen outside of the closed room where it took place and a slideshow of photographs that previous participants had taken was shown on a screen inside the room.
My final degree show at the University of Worcester, inspired by performance artist Marina Abramovic, whose work I had studied in depth for my dissertation. This was my first exploration of using the body in performance and as a mode of expression.
This performance particularly focused on the female body, the connection between the female body and food, and beauty ideals. It also explored themes of sexuality, peer pressure, passivity, notions of control and 'the crowd mentality'.
I did not move or speak and was essentially a blank canvas for audiences to create art with/on. Audience could chose from a range of items primarily associated with women such as make-up, mirrors, clothing, thread, roses and arty materials. A camera was included as an object which gave participants the opportunity to take photographs.
As the module's focus was digital media, the performance was live-streamed to a screen outside of the closed room where it took place and a slideshow of photographs that previous participants had taken was shown on a screen inside the room.
Secret Elephant Show (2015)
Circus/physical theatre based performance and dinner event to raise funds for Onside Advocacy. The theme was mental health.
Performed at the Bank House hotel in Worcester. Directed by Kelly Underwood.
Secret Elephant Show was reviewed on the University of Worcester blog and in Worcester News.
Image credits: University of Worcester and Kelly Underwood.
Circus/physical theatre based performance and dinner event to raise funds for Onside Advocacy. The theme was mental health.
Performed at the Bank House hotel in Worcester. Directed by Kelly Underwood.
Secret Elephant Show was reviewed on the University of Worcester blog and in Worcester News.
Image credits: University of Worcester and Kelly Underwood.
New World Order (2012)
Devised re-working of Harold Pinter's play to raise awareness and funds for Amnesty International.
Directed by Thomas John Bacon. Performed at Gloucestershire College, UK.
Devised re-working of Harold Pinter's play to raise awareness and funds for Amnesty International.
Directed by Thomas John Bacon. Performed at Gloucestershire College, UK.
Absence (2011)
Butoh piece.
Directed by Thomas John Bacon. Performed at Gloucestershire College, UK.
Photography by Thomas John Bacon.
Butoh piece.
Directed by Thomas John Bacon. Performed at Gloucestershire College, UK.
Photography by Thomas John Bacon.