Feedback Buddy: Mimi Gilles 
The womb noise was an effective and relevant opener. Could you take it further by constructing a score in which it plays throughout the piece, even layered under other sounds? I enjoyed the visuals of the hanging photographs. However, I wanted to know more about the specifics of each one. What do they reveal in particular about the relationship you have with your mother? Is there something about their place on the washing line that is important? The merging of the photographs was compelling to watch. I think you can afford to take more time on this and so the piece could be longer.

 

They could work as isolated sections but this didn’t come across explicitly in the performance. I think you should consider their relationship to each other. What is it about having the monologues as recorded audio as opposed to saying them live that you like? I liked the presence of a voice; it was commanding and gave the piece an eerie tone that worked well with the careful construction of the morphed face. It could be worth experimenting with this. If your mother was recorded saying them for example, it immediately gives her more of a presence in the piece. You could also try merging both of your voices together – playing more explicitly with the theme of inherited features.

 

Similarly, think about that voice in relation to the action that is going on. If it was your mother’s voice, how does that effect the way you move in the space and what you do? Vice versa to your own. This makes me think more specifically about the bond between you both: is there a specific feeling between you that you want to explore? A theme that came through for me was that of love. This was evident in the photographs of happy moments and how you carefully constructed the combined face. What happens if these feelings subverted and perhaps, become more animalistic – urgent or aggressive?

 

Think about what the animal monologues mean to you. Listening to them I was struck by how they proved that animals think in a similar way than we do, when it comes to relationships. In the monologues you chose, are there specific things about them that you can link with the relationship you have with your mother? You could also play with turning them into movement pieces, which could also act as transitions.

Seeing the pegs on the washing line, I thought about attachment and bonds – is there a specific reason behind each photograph? Why those particular photographs, do they reveal something about the relationship you have your mother? This also made me consider the material used for the washing line. Yarn conjures ideas of comfort and attachment – a material that makes something, knitted blankets, clothing also associated with newborn babies. How far can you take yarn as a material to explore?

 

Wearing your mother’s nightgown: This was well considered but can you take this further in thinking about how your mother moves? Then thinking back to inherited features, do you walk in the same way as her? This could be interesting to think about when considering transitions.