For over 20 years, Experimentica at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff has given art on the fringes a home. Be it well-regarded artists known in their field of live art, or fledgling practitioners itching to be seen and heard, the festival has done it all. This year, they are proudly back on form with four days of work, like the good old days before the pandemic.
Daring and bold, infuriating and life-affirming, it’s always worth going back for more. Experimentica 2024’s themed title is ‘A Call To Spring’, with some pieces clearly inspired by this (and others in need of more justifiable contextualisation). Here are my first set of highlights from Experimentica 2024.
SCORE: MAES CHWARAE
As the official opening of Experimentica 2024, local artists in varying fields united for a tribute to Chapter and its time before being an arts venue. The school which existed in the space is still in living memory for some; here, we got attendant imagery of PE games, soap suds and tug of war (in a surreal finale outside the studio). Running for nearly two hours, the work didn’t quite justify that length, although I enjoyed the games within. Suds were spread over a microphone for some ambient ruffling; scaffolding is in place for the artists to spread, coil around and hide atop. Some spoken word left little mark , while some bloodletting might make some flee – even if this was done in an almost approachable way, with humour and grace. Through the silence, this random ensemble brought back some nostalgic visions of a ghost of a place, now seen through the eyes of art.
FUTURE RITUAL: A FELLING
Here was an easier pinpoint, easily comparable to 1970s/80s-vintage performance art. Death is the major theme: amber-orange lighting presents three figures, each lost in their own ritualistic actions. Plates are slid across the floor; a year is declared before each of their journeys; wax is poured over another’s back, forming a beautiful yellow wing clinging on for most of the show. The third artist puts needles through his lips and almost dances with a huge board.
This was a highly polished showing. I was amazed at the efforts made to break up a table from within, the cracks and creaks alive in the space. Buckets of water, set upon a pulley system, could crash at any moment, only for the three figures to mock-drown themselves in the same water before the finale. Heavy going in some respects, I found A Felling quite alarming and cathartic. These three performers have a great, symbiotic relationship, and this shone through their exposed nature and daring body work.
LOU LOU SAINSBURY: A FANTASTIC BODY / DESCENDING NOTES
A fleeting screening from Lou Lou Sainsbury featured two of her recent films. Capturing a hypnotic sense of performance, with historically inspired figures depicted via knitwork and puppets, it remained a peculiar affair. In A Fantastic Body, we meet Sunbeam: a Roman-influenced knitted character who gets knickknacks sown into their cavities. A body of water finds ribs and nectarine stones to put within, as GoPros and other cameras document these strange findings. Trans issues are a theme and in the second film, descending notes, we see a trio of artists who embrace, writhe and flutter about. A cymbal is spun, carried along the floor outside and struck with much abuse, its noise the most memorable sound. The intimacy could have become sexual, though this is ultimately resisted; overall, these two shorts held up for their quirky peculiar atheistic.
With much more having taken place over the four days of Experimentica, expect more to be written about. Watch this space…
Experimentica, Chapter Arts Centre, Thurs 11-Sat 13 Apr
words JAMES ELLIS photos KIRSTEN MCTERNAN
