The Arch of Starch share their unique performance style

Get your taste buds tickled with two twisted teasers from The Arch of Starch:

 

http://vimeo.com/35472392

 

http://vimeo.com/31784369

 

Keep an eyeball peeled for a dominating dollop of curiosity from The Arch of Starch at the Nabokov Arts Club this Friday and Saturday!

The Arch of Starch is a multi- disciplinary performance company co-founded by Hollie Miller and Rebecca Walker. Hollie and Rebecca studied performance and choreography at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance. The Arch of Starch responds to their contemporary dance background as they work towards an alternative model of movement integrated performance. By exposing movement to costume invention and text, new possibilities originating from movement emerge. The Arch of Starch creates visually rich, utterly hilarious, imaginative performance that is appealing to both adults and children alike.

Our work is a response to the social issues going on around us. We embody different physical characters through highly expressive movement and rhythmic text. We design and build costume inventions, to find innovative ways of moving, whilst being fundamentally joined together. This is a crucial aspect of our investigation into social themes, with the aim to find alternative ways of bringing people together. The Arch of Starch constructs a surreal world, in which vivacious characters use the absurd to comment on our social desires. 

 

Rae Evans on why she loves stories...

I love stories. My mum told me stories before I even existed, of my Russian and Irish family and ancestors. When I was tiny, she told me tales of witches and princesses. My dad read me Ivor the Engine, doing all the voices. I love how we shape ourselves through stories. The things we relate, whether fantastical or true, glue us together and build new worlds.

In 2010, I toured around Europe, singing for my supper, being a troubadour, singing my stories and hearing the stories of others. 

Complete strangers told me tales of heartbreak, of family kidnapping, of hilarious misdeeds and of strange events. This is one of my favourites (it is all true)...

Marco was a successful children's book illustrator in Milan. He loved being creative but got sick of the city life so he bought a farmhouse in a tiny village in Umbria and started a bee farm and organic artist's retreat. 

Now, in the woods near this village, a rather unusual festival was held. Metal hooks would be hung from the trees in the forest. People would gather from all over and, on these hooks, they would swing in the trees, bleeding out their stresses and their troubles, purging themselves and trying to reach a purer place. Most of the villagers weren't in favour of this event and wanted it to end, but Marco opened his home to the participants and dressed their wounds with propolis from his bees. After a few days these people would return to their city lives in their air-conditioned cars. 

Marco and his wife Ornella would wash the bloodstained sheets and go back to tending their bees, humming in the air. 

I'll be singing this story and others this weekend at Nabakov's Artsclub and maybe you can tell me a tale or two if I see you...

 

Rae x 

www.raeevans.com

Introducing Fitzgerald...

Fitzgerald are Nichol Keene / Toby de Angeli  / William Edelsten, a group of friends who get together quite a lot to explore storytelling through spoken word/ theatre/ music/ visual arts.

Most of our time has been spent writing in bedrooms and arts centres eating supermarket snacks including grapes, tiger bread and cheese with the hope that one day we can start shopping at Waitrose, while also discussing our love for lactose intolerant hedge hogs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV52OA3yqjw) and wondering how we can reference them in our show. Will has been debating whether to use a mandolin through an effects pedal or simply a broken banjo. Basically it’s going to be good fun and all I would say is have a listen to the first song you ever heard.

P.S. all biscuits are welcome including Kit Kats

‘Actually sick a personality that I want to listen to’ – Polarbear

‘Made me feel like a proud Dad it blew me away’ – Scroobius Pip

‘Nichol’s work is sophisticated, steeped in meaning and rhythmic. The imagery she provides in her poems is unrivalled; she will take you on a journey that you soon begin to adopt as your own. Toby as an individual is probably one of the most fascinating poets you will see in this day and age. He compels every eye and every ear to pay attention. Awe-inspiring.’  -  Writers Lounge

Tice Oakfield of Flying Dutchman Theatre shares his thoughts on pop-up book storytelling

I'm surrounded by cardboard. My bedroom has turned into a studio for the pop up theatre show. I need to finish a new page. Most likely I will be sleep deprived performing under the influence of caffeine. It's all so little and flat. I just cut through the cardboard, through my new jeans into my leg. And now I sit behind the computer writing my blog with a plaster on my inner thigh and drops of blood on the new page. My blood is in the performance. I'm Flying Dutchman, welcome to my world.

 

I remember telling my father about the book over a year ago and receiving a lecture about my life and my work. He lives in the Netherlands and works at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. I live in England and perform at festivals. Our lives seem so far apart and in some ways they are. But our blood connects us. I'll let you into a secret: my father never finished his studies! And next to working at the Ministry, he's an architect. He designed houses in the town I grew up in. He leaves his mark. Making the impossible possible is something I inherited from this amazing man. I believe in my fantastical journey. I design and I build. There's no limitation to my imagination.

And therefore I am cutting and folding cardboard in between children's shows and webdesign. Confronting my protagonist with yet another challenge. And I'm supposed to cut the story with another 5 minutes. I do hope the majority of the audience is tipsy. That's basically my target audience. Thanks for reading hope you come to see Flying Dutchman at the BAC!

 

King Porter stomp added to the Arts Club line-up!

“energising, a blast!”  THE INDEPENDENT
“enjoyably raucous” EVENING STANDARD

With massive horns, heavy bass and deeply socially aware lyrics, King Porter Stomp have quickly established themselves as major players on the UK live circuit. The high energy seven piece have developed a unique breed of accessible ska, dub and hip hop which feels as much at home busked on street corners as it is played out on major festival stages. With shows in Europe, over 50 UK festival performances and a string of UK tours to date, the seemingly unstoppable sextet have continued to build a large and dedicated fan base that stretches throughout the UK and beyond. Having just provided the music for a brand new play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and also quickly gaining over 10000 views of the video for their blistering new single “Let It All Out”, King Porter Stomp are at the absolute top of their game.

http://kingporterstomp.co.uk/

Arts Club call for new acts!

The nabokov Arts Club is looking for unique and exciting acts for its next event at Battersea Arts Centre on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd March 2012. The Arts Club will again be taking over BAC on both nights with its trademark mix of live arts and partying that saw sold out crowds and national press coverage for our Halloween event Festival of the Dead.

What we want:

We’re looking for comedians, poets, musicians, sketch groups, dancers, cabaret acts, circus performers – or anything else that you think might tickle our fancy. For this event we’ll be exploring the theme of Fables and Fairytales so we’re especially interested in anything related to this, but it’s far from essential. We’re also looking for an individual or company to help us create an interactive installation or immersive piece.

You’ll need to be available for an audition (or meeting), a tech slot on Friday 2nd and then your performance times on the evenings of Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd. Please note that this is not an open audition for individual actors.

What we can offer you:

We’re interested in finding new talent for the variety of events that we produce. For this initial event we will not be offering a fee to performers who are selected through the audition process, but we are able to offer you the chance to perform at a unique event at a prestigious venue and to a large audience, as well as artistic support and advice. We hope that this could be the start of new and fruitful relationships with artists from across the spectrum.

The auditions:
Will be held at BAC on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February. To apply, please email a description of your act and any supporting material (reviews, video, photos etc) to paul@nabokov-online.com before Wednedsay 1st February. We’ll try to get back to everyone who applies but this may not be possible if the volume of applicants is high. If you’re successful we’ll send you details of what to prepare and your audition slot.

Good luck!

The nabokov Arts Club: Fable

Friday 2nd march and Saturday 3rd march 2012 // 8pm – 2am Battersea Arts Centre // Lavender Hill// Battersea // SW11 5TN £15 (earlybird) // £18 (advance) // £20 (on the door)
Advance booking online at www.bac.org.uk/

or over the phone on 020 7223 2223

Follow new developments exclusively on the nabokov blog: www.nabokov-online.com and click ‘News’ 

 

The nabokov Arts Club: Fable

Following our epic sold out Festival of the Dead, the nabokov Arts Club returns to BAC for another weekend of live arts and late-night mayhem.

An extravaganza of live theatre, music, comedy, dance and visual art wrapped up in a big fat party - the nabokov Arts Club has been featured in The Guardian, Time Out’s Hot Picks/Critics’ Choice and The Independent’s ‘Best Nights Out’.

This next instalment of London’s best arts party will once again feature the cream of the UK’s established and emerging talent from across the spectrum. Exploring the theme of Fables and Fairytales, expect headline theatre pieces from Jack Thorne (The Fades/This is England ‘88) and a musical subversion of the Cinderella story from composer and Doctor Who star Arthur Darvill (Been So Long/It’s About Time).

There are loads more acts to be announced, so stay tuned to this event page for more details, or follow new developments on the nabokov blog: 
www.nabokov-online.com and click ‘News’

A limited number of Earlybird tickets for £15 are now on sale from the BAC website...the last event was sold out so you'd better be quick!

Advance booking online at www.bac.org.uk/whats-on/nabokov-arts-club2/ 
or over the phone on 020 7223 2223

The nabokov Arts Club: Fable
Friday 2nd march and Saturday 3rd march 2012 // 8pm – 2am
Battersea Arts Centre // Lavender Hill// Battersea // SW11 5TN
£15 (earlybird) // £18 (advance) // £20 (on the door) 

Hebe George shares the joys of working on the Arts Club...

It's Thursday and we are settled in to our cozy making room in the depths of the BAC. Its the second day of being here and we are very happy to finally be in space after weeks of planning, sharing ideas and developing the concept of The Arts Club.
We have had an interesting week sourcing props and costumes for the show which has involved getting up at the crack of dawn to go to Covent Garden flower market, going to junk warehouses and seeing the gruesome delights of Smithfield meat market. It has been incredible discovering the early morning life in London and have met lots of interesting characters along the way.
Along with the amazing assistance of our helpers, we are currently preparing for the finale of the show and have messy fingers modelling bits and pieces. We are also putting together costumes and we have secretly really enjoyed playing dressing up at the costume store.

It is an incredible collaboration to be a part of and can't wait to get cracking on the get in next week...

Festival of the Dead flyer

New acts wanted for the nabokov Arts Club

The nabokov Arts Club is looking for unique and exciting acts for its new event at Battersea Arts Centre on Friday 28^th and Saturday 29^th October 2011. The Arts Club will be taking over the whole of BAC on both nights with its trademark mix of live arts and partying that has seen packed nights in East London for the past 4 years, as well as coverage in both The Guardian and The Independent.

What we want:
We’re looking for comedians, poets, musicians, sketch groups, dancers, cabaret acts, circus performers – or anything else that you think might tickle our fancy. As the weekend is going to be a Halloween special, we’re especially interested in anything spooky, but it’s far from essential. You’ll need to be available for an audition (details below), a tech slot on Friday 28^th and then your performance times on the evenings of Friday 28^th and Saturday 29^th. Please note that this is not an open audition for individual actors.

What we can offer you:
We’re interested in finding new talent for the variety of events that we produce. For this initial event we will not be offering a fee to performers who are selected through the audition process, but we are able to offer you the chance to perform at a unique event at a prestigious venue and to a large audience, as well as artistic support and advice. We hope that this could be the start of new and fruitful relationships with artists from across the spectrum.

The auditions:
Will be held at BAC on Tuesday 27^th and Wednesday 28^th September. To apply, please email a description of your act and any supporting material (reviews, video, photos etc) to
paul@nabokov-online.com before Friday 23^rd September. We’ll try to get back to everyone who applies but this may not be possible if the volume of applicants is high. If you’re successful we’ll send you details of what to prepare and your audition slot.

Good luck!