Jamie Lewis

"I will not say more about where this might have come from, but today, my thoughts are: I say it..."

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 06:51:00 -0400

“

I will not say more about where this might have come from, but today, my thoughts are:

I say it again, we could have been building the ecology of the art world!

This is one festival in the festivals to come. This is one artwork in the art works to come. Your work is never finished. The question is, “What is Your process?”

”

- jamie lewis; in an essay for penny

streamboatshorebridge: When the City Waves BY ANDY FIELD,...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 06:48:00 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

When the City Waves

BY ANDY FIELD, Exuent Magazine, 1 June 2012

“in Dan Koop’s The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge I moved gently back and forth across Melbourne’s river, The Yarra, delicately unpicking its influence on the city as a place of fluidity and change; of endings and beginnings.”

streamboatshorebridge: Next Wave Pegboard, 24 May 2012: Review...

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:06:30 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

Next Wave Pegboard, 24 May 2012:

Review by Jane Howard AKA No Plain Jane

“From a little booth on the Southbank Wharf usually home to river cruises, I took a different kind of tour of the Yarra. For four people at a time, those who explore The Stream/The Boat/The Shore/The Bridge have journeys that are similar and connected, but separate and personal. To talk about it too much is to give away its secrets and surprises, but you might learn some more about the river, how to leave troubles behind, how a city is made, and how to take an unexpected chance on yourself and on others. I left feeling joyed, hopeful, centred and connected.”

streamboatshorebridge: artsHub review by Richard Watts, 25 May...

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:06:22 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

artsHub review by Richard Watts, 25 May 2012

“The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge is a remarkable, life-affirming and engaging work that brings a smile to one’s face many hours after the work itself is over. It is, without doubt, a highlight of the 2012 Next Wave Festival, and comes highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5”

email correspondence with xanthe post-previews; process

Thu, 17 May 2012 22:45:58 -0400

JAMIE LEWIS <lewis.jme@gmail.com>

another thought about live art
3 messages

Xanthe Beesley Thu, May 17, 2012 at 12:30 AM

To: Jamie Lewis Animat <lewis.jme@gmail.com>

hey luv,

something else that the work made me consider was live art in relationship to story-telling. i think this is not pertinent /important to all ‘live art’ but was interesting for me to consider in terms of what you guys are doing. it feels like story and story telling still holds a place in this performance? you’re telling us your stories, the river has stories, histories, physical stories and you have a way of extracting our stories out of us. would you agree? obviously narrative structures are completely different so i don’t mean ‘story’ in a particularly theatrical sense. and our experience of narrative is altered, reshaped and experienced as we move through the physical map of the work. but it still feels like the artist is telling us a story. or in an exchange of story with us. or that our shared experience together creates a new story/our own version of the story.

what do you think?

______________

JAMIE LEWIS <lewis.jme@gmail.com>Thu, May 17, 2012 at 10:28 AM

To: Xanthe Beesley <>

yepp definitely, and definitely the starting point that i gathered when i first talked to dan about the project.
i also reflected a lot after our conversation, and i think we’ve not quite settled into the site yet - in the sense, actually placing the work in the context of the real city now!
we’ve made the work in the countryside, so we could explore these “natural” elements, such as the water, weather, bridge, grass…and then we did the run at coburg lake, where one of the feedback was that the audience felt really taken care of. But of course they did. it was coburg lake. it was serene and calm, and the bit of a crowd, or a passer-by, were gentle, taking a stroll…

and now, there is the reality of the harshness of the city, intrinsic in the place. and even more care must be given. as in the bridge, of course. but even with max. to view the kinda jarring towers - there is an aggression in that “story” - in how a city develops - and so the tone, or mood, that he brings with, must balance that. dan and i have it a little easier in that we are tucked away, or in a distance on the water. and our view points are much more internally focused.
so yes, i think we haven’t quite fully realised the space.

i’m looking forward to having that chat with them later. whee

[Quoted text hidden]

—
Jamie Lewis
Performance Artist/Animateur
www.jamie-lewis.net
mobile: (61) 468 559 898
lewis.jme@gmail.com

JAMIE LEWIS <lewis.jme@gmail.com>Fri, May 18, 2012 at 12:41 PM

To: Xanthe Beesley <>

hey xanthe!

yesterday went rather well. I had a good chat, especially with penny and max.

max had already clocked, by the end of the day before, that he wasn’t comfortable with that “tone” he had arrived at. i think it confused him a little, because we had discussed having the punter feel a sense of consequence with the city they create, and yet, having a sense of play while they were in the process of that creating. and so yesterday, we decided that he would just play it light, and playful almost. and let the reflection be mostly on the punter’s end. that we don’t have to impose that sense of consequence, or “resolution” to the section in terms of, “did you build a sustainable city?” and it was much better a process for him at the end of yesterday.

same with penny, i talked her through some of your feedback, and she agreed. the bridge is so aggressive in nature, that spot, that hour of the day, in fact, all day, there is ALWAYS traffic. so yea, worked through some of the beginning parts as well, and also, to let go of the Need for participation. where we offer something, and the punter responds, sometimes as a witness, spectator, sometimes participating, and then sometimes even giving more than participation. that changed a lot for her, and she had a good run. the silence thing was an interesting conversation. i don’t know if we have the answers, but we both agreed, even for me and the clay, we took on those devices from the sketches we first saw at bundanon, the sketches that Dan and team had created before we got there. there were things we liked about it and so kept it. and worked from it. but we’re not quite sure (for ourselves) what it is. and definitely, worth thinking about now; how do we own it? and understand why we are using it? and how do we use it anyway?

i’ve been thinking about my section too. there are moments of “panic” when i cannot find an entry point with the participant. and i find myself being a little preachy with the story - as if the imagery of the yarra is a life lesson. and it kinda is, for me. or more than a lesson, it’s my metaphor for starting my life here now. but i find myself treading this place where i might come across over “therapeutic” or like i’ve got Your solution to life. but i’ve been playing with very different permutations - starting with the clay first, not using the clay at all with some, sometimes i read them the story, sometimes i just retell it, sometimes it’s silent when they work the clay, sometimes it’s silent when i wash their hands, sometimes not, sometimes we analyse the clay, sometimes we stare at the blue dye settle into the water…i think i am still trying to understand how much is enough? how much can i leave hanging? and how much must i tell?

i can’t remember in its entirety what happened in the run with you. but i think you got quite a full sketch of things.

what are your thoughts?

j

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streamboatshorebridge: Our video trailer gives a sneak peak of...

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:54:10 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

Our video trailer gives a sneak peak of what, where & how you will experience The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge during the 2012 Next Wave Festival!

We think it looks so good that you might need this link: LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

We’d like to thank the team who did a fabulous job:

Director/Producer/DOP: Max Milne
Editor: Thomas Kinsman
Sound Designer: Adam Hunt

streamboatshorebridge: TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:13:23 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

streamboatshorebridge: Shore Thing // SBSB do Bundanon pt 2

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:13:06 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

Shore Thing // SBSB do Bundanon pt 2

streamboatshorebridge: Kittycoldwater has set sail thanks to...

Wed, 09 May 2012 21:11:11 -0400

streamboatshorebridge:

Kittycoldwater has set sail thanks to the patrons Ned and Majda down at Twenty & Six.

All photos by Max Milne Photography

The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge: Building Bridges

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:11:24 -0400

The Stream / The Boat / The Shore / The Bridge: Building Bridges:

streamboatshorebridge:

There is a strange sensation that comes about with something like this, a ‘creative development’.

I feel like it should be called an ‘emotional development’, or I should tell people I’m embarking on a week of ‘emotional creativity’!

I find myself connecting with a bull in the field, or…

Photo

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:39:21 -0400

#bundanon with @thesbsb: day one

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:35:13 -0400

it was the first work day for us who arrived at bundanon for week 2 of this creative development. and it was good.

we were presented with sketches of where the guys were up to. and it was good.

we had our thoughts and feedback. we had our questions. and everything was open for discussion. and it was good.

it’s 11:11pm as i type this exact line, and amazed as i am at this moment of cosmic timeliness, i am also quite exhausted, in a most fulfilling way. today has indeed, been a good day. there is an an ease in the way we work together. one found, quite entirely naturally, and immediately. there is a shared curiosity and excitement towards this project. there is a quietly understood respect for our individual work. and there is a genuine interest in each person. this is a working relationship most desired isn’t it?

my guess is, because there aren’t really rules here.

or rather, the rules are not conventional, and definitely not familiar. more so, it’s that the rules can, and will change.

at the end of today, i find myself leaning towards the stream, extremely curious about the yarra, and rivers in general. in singapore, what used to be rivers are now concrete structures that are really for the purpose of drainage. many rivers have been “re-configured” in the process of urbanisation, going underground, and becoming invisible, and almost “non-existent.” and yet, for some of these places, there is a flow of energy where water run, i am almost adamant of this. and so roads are built in congruence with that flow, giving direction to the way we travel. or not?

what is the purpose of a river in an urbanised city, i ask again.

i suspect i will need more reading to help the mulling of this question. and that is good.

and that, for now, is a good night now.

in the meantime, i've put in an application for this:

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:06:29 -0400

in the meantime, i've put in an application for this:

i went on my first site visit this morning. it’s not an...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:00:00 -0400

i went on my first site visit this morning. it’s not an unfamiliar place. i mean, i’ve had to walk across this river to school everyday back in 2010. and i’ve been around the area too, because i have had to get across, or around, or something. but hardly, have i sat around, and just watched. so today, i sat at ponyfish island, and got myself a cup of coffee, and sat looking towards st kilda road.

it’s a drizzly morning. there is no smell of rain. there is no smell of a gunky river either. ok, so maybe it’s not exactly gunky, but it’s a dark brown, and after what it has gone through over history and development, this river is not clean.

i look over the table top, into the water, and the first memory that comes to me is that of me slumped over a friend’s shoulder as we sit by the bank of the Singapore River, puking my guts out into the water on a drunken night. this was a while ago now, i assure you, but definitely an embarrassing memory. i wonder, how many others, have done the same here?

joggers, the business suits, tourists with cameras slung over their necks, school kids on excursion, footsteps from the bridge above me; dust falls onto my journal as i write this. everything and everyone is constantly moving around me.

trams, cars; a steady stream of traffic all over. the iconic Flinders’ Street Station, the Central Business District towering above in the skyline, the spire of the Arts Centre, the MCG in the distance, hints of Federation Square - images in which the City of Melbourne is depicted, mostly in daggy postcards, which i love. (see !Metro Arts Free Range residency work)

it’s not a cold day, but on my face, a cool air in the wind. a bird sits on the table with me.

the river cruise ferry is parked at its berth; no passengers. i’ve never gone on one of this, not even when i was a tourist here 3 years ago. i realise, i’ve never gone on one in Singapore either; river cities.

my thoughts go back to the work at free range, where i found resonance of singapore in brisbane because of the rivers in which our cities are built around; the stream.

i’m curious now, to learn about the yarra. where does this river run? what was the river used for before? what does it do now, if all we seem to want to do is get across; the bridge.

to sit in a cafe under a bridge, on water, despite its precautionary structures in place, we fear, ok i have a nagging fear that my belongings may fall over, into the water. and yet, a thrill, a beauty, of being close to water. i stare into the water for a while, as if i can see anything beneath the murky brown. i imagine my iphone dropping in, and sinking right to the bottom. i want to reach over and dip my fingers into the dysentery filled water, just because; the boat.

or that one can imagine a cafe under a bridge; of function and of aesthetic. that i can sip on a soy flat white, and smoke a cigarette, while i gaze at the picturesque view that is Melbourne before me. what is space, in a city? with an endless flow of water, people, and vehicles; traffic, in all directions towards and against and around this river. how do we traverse a/this city? what is the life of a/the city, if not these joggers, business suits, tourists with cameras slung over their necks, school kids on excursion, footsteps from the bridge above me, trams, cars, and ferries; the shore.

ruminations; more to come.

presenting at the Next Wave Festival 2012...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:48:00 -0400

all hands on deck here at http://thesbsb.com/

Transparency Collective: #eugeneochia went on a play date and here's what he thought

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:47:33 -0500

Transparency Collective: #eugeneochia went on a play date and here's what he thought:

transparencycollective:

When i was asked to try the first task, i was nervous and yet wanting to do it. I too wanted to test my own boundaries being out of place like that. Tho at the same time i knew i can overcome the awkwardness just by throwing myself at it. On top of it, i felt this would be easy.

I stood in…

Video

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:20:14 -0500

Video

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:19:52 -0500

Video

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:19:32 -0500

Video

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:19:13 -0500