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Honorary graduate inspires Leeds Beckett students
Aletia Upstairs, Sara Jackson, Antoinette Sargent and Jenny Skinner will perform Emballage, an interactive piece inspired by the ideologies and innovative methodologies contained within the Demarco archive, at the Summerhall, Edinburgh, from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 20 August.
Supported by Leeds Beckett University’s PhD research programme, second year PhD student and performance director, Aletia, explained: “Emballage is the second practical project for my Practice-as-Research PhD. It refers to Tadeusz Kantor’s concept of wrapping, a utilitarian action taken from the most mundane reality of everyday life, and is the result of a co-creation between the archive, the researcher, the audience and the student performers.
“Inspired by Kantor, and informed by the work of Joseph Beuys, Marina Abramovic, Rose Finn-Kelcey, Bobby Baker and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Emballage encourages audience members to participate in the performance-installation, to navigate the spaces as they wish and to share memories from their subjective archives.”
Teresa Brayshaw, Principal Lecturer in Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett, said: “We are delighted to support Aletia in profiling the practice element of her PhD studies at the wonderful venue of Summerhall in Edinburgh this year. She makes powerful and intimate work and we look forward with interest to hearing how the piece is received.”
Speaking ahead of the festival, which will mark the third time she has performed in Edinburgh, Aletia added: “The Edinburgh Festival has become one of the most important platforms from which artists can showcase their work. This is an amazing opportunity for myself and fellow students and I am very much looking forward to performing in the surroundings of the Demarco archive, from which I have drawn so much inspiration.”
A major figure in the promotion of European arts for more than 60 years, Professor Richard Demarco CBE was awarded an honorary degree by Leeds Beckett University on Wednesday 27 July.
A keen supporter of Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett, Professor Demarco was integral in establishing the University’s performing arts teaching provision and commissioned Leeds Beckett’s first performance at the Edinburgh Festival. His archive is a crucial research resource for both students and staff alike.
Emballage will run from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 20 August at the Summerhall, Edinburgh. For more details go to www.summerhall.co.uk.
For more information about Aletia’s work visit http://aletiaupstairs.com or follow her on Twitter at @AletiaUpstairs or www.facebook.com/AletiaUpstairsPage.