A SHOW questioning society’s attitude to violence against women is to open an online festival staged by some of the most exciting new artists in Scotland.
Till I Die by Indra Wilson (below) explores gender stereotypes of the slasher genre and audiences’ fascination with killers.
The show opens at the Into the New festival today, which this year will be online and features a powerful line-up of creative and thought-provoking live art, films and performances.
It has been created by the graduating students of the Contemporary Performance Practice programme at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) – recently named one of the world’s top three destinations to study the performing arts.
The artists presenting their degree show work have been commended for developing the material under some of the most challenging circumstances that students and artists have faced in recent years.
“This graduating cohort has worked incredibly hard to not only get through this pandemic but to devise a range of exciting and diverse new artworks,” said Dr Laura Bissell, interim head of the BA (Hons) Contemporary Performance Practice programme.
“The way in which they have responded to this moment in a creative, curious and committed way has been extraordinary and I am amazed by what they have achieved. These artists have not stopped making, they have found new ways of creating, collaborating and bringing us together and that gives me hope as we navigate these times.”
This year the themes include gender stereotypes and family dynamics, explorations of identity and issues of mental health as well as the relationship between art and artist.
To create Till I Die, Wilson worked with women’s charities and organisations in and around Glasgow to explore what needed to be highlighted.
Since filming, her show has become even more pertinent following the tragic death of Sarah Everard and the subsequent protests over violence against women.
In Scotland, domestic abuse cases are continuing to rise with more
than 60,000 incidents recorded last year. The police receive a call reporting domestic abuse every nine minutes and one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.
“The show really asks women to talk about their experiences and make their voices heard,” said Wilson. “ I also felt it was really important because right now women’s charities, especially in Glasgow, have had funding cuts and are really struggling to stay open. At the end of the piece there will be links to support services and relevant organisations where people can make donations.”
Other works at the festival include Under My Duvet (until further notice), performed by Forest Wolfe with Ciaran Stewart and Mother’s Milk performed by Sally Charlton.
Also showing are Short/Long:Long/Short by Jack MacMillan, As Real As Reality by Maria J Monteiro, The Unholy Knight by Miro Santeri, Content Here by Althea Young, We’re Not Really Strangers by Rachel Mclean and 6687 by Holly Worton and Sam Worton.
Into the New will also feature artist talks, a symposium with practitioners from across the UK that will examine how and why artists use personas, alter egos and multiple identities in their work and a late-night performance party – all live on Zoom.
The majority of performances have been performed and filmed on the stage of the New Athenaeum Theatre at the RCS according to Covid-19 guidelines and will be shared on digital platforms. All have optional subtitles and some feature BSL interpretation and integrated performance. Tickets are free but must be booked in advance.
Explore the programme and watch online from today to Sunday: rcs.ac.uk/festivals
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