The Hairy Sideshow
THE HAIRY SIDESHOW, Seven Sister Group
July 2021
Nominated by Royal & Derngate Northampton and Warwick Arts Centre.
Seven Sisters Group focus on communicating contemporary issues through new and idiosyncratic works that defy labelling.
Their projects are often site-specific and combine performance, installation, video and spoken word. Seven Sisters Group used the Seedbed residency to explore how they could create a tour-able site-specific work, The Hairy Sideshow, an exploration of persistent as well as changing views on hair, created in and around a ‘sideshow’ trailer – a caravan. They worked on how they could move between the interior and exterior of the caravan with the audience always on the exterior to allow for social distancing.
They also worked on how to get the audience to experience the performance in a set order, and how digital technology could help to solve these problems. They were aiming for a better understanding of what the caravan should be like visually, strucually, inside and outside, and to explore the audience positioning and their relationship to the caravan/performers/technology. They found being at 101 immensely valuable to their creative process – having the space to work both inside and outside on the project, and to have the space entirely for their own use in this period.
As with so many artists in residence at 101 they deeply appreciated being looked after and having all their practical needs met – from complex technical issues to having their meals cooked for them, and a cosy place to sleep.
The comfort means you could really relax into being creative. Lucy, Seven Sisters Group