Partnership Residency Introduces Artist Rita Marcalo

Feeling Like I Do: She’s Lost Control and the Phenomenology of an Epileptic Seizure

 A talk exploring the connections between the epileptic body and dance

Image taken by Lucy Barker

Rita Marcalo, an internationally award winning artist and choreographer, will be presenting a talk at Lanternhouse, Ulverston. The talk will explore the connections and contrasts between her life as a professional dancer and choreographer and the hidden condition she calls her ‘invisible disability’; epilepsy.

The Leeds based choreographer is known for her risk-taking approach and for her aesthetic of hyper-romanticism. Rita’s performance based artwork is inspired by rebellion, non-conformism and protest and is designed to challenge audiences.

Naturally, such work has generated controversy in the past. Her performance art project ‘Involuntary Dances’ hit the headlines and stimulated debate due to its edgy and potentially dangerous content. The project involved Rita attempting to induce a seizure by not taking her medication and by triggering her condition through dietary changes and lack of sleep. The project was the first piece in a trilogy of works exploring Rita’s personal experience of life with epilepsy.

Image taken by Lucy Barker

The talk will focus on the second part of the trilogy; ‘She’s Lost Control’; an immersive dance installation that lets the audience takes an active role in the artwork by navigating through a labyrinth of enclosures. This work addressed both Rita's experience as an epilepsy sufferer and that of other well known sufferers such as Joy Division's singer Ian Curtis.

Rita hopes that by speaking at Lanternhouse she can address some of the issues surrounding her past work as well as discussing her future projects. Rita comments;

“I am really excited to be working in partnership with Prism Arts and the Folly, and looking forward to how the residency at Lanternhouse will enable me to take time out to reflect on and develop my ideas on my trilogy of epilepsy works”.

The talk is hosted at Lanternhouse and is presented in partnership between two leading North-West art organisations; Prism Arts and folly. The organisations have been searching for an artist to put forward for the Cultural Olympiad Unlimited commission; a commission that acts as a platform for high quality, ambitious work by disabled and Deaf artists to help celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Both organisations will support Rita to apply for the commission in April. Amy, Project Worker at Prism Arts, comments;

“It has been a fantastic experience working with Rita in partnership with folly. Her time in residency should result in some thought provoking work and the talk will be a fascinating insight into Rita’s practice – definitely unmissable”

Feeling Like I Do: She’s Lost Control and the Phenomenology of an Epileptic Seizure will take place on the 23 February 7.00pm at Lanternhouse in Ulverston, Cumbria. The event is free to attend.

The event will also be streamed live on the internet where the public can ask questions to Rita directly. To get involved go to: http://justin.tv/folly_digital_arts on the 23rd February at 7pm. The channel can also be viewed using an iphone and on Android based phones.

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For more information about Instant Dissidence and Rita Marcalo go to: http://www.instantdissidence.co.uk/

For more details about the event please contact Lanternhouse: 01229 581127.

The residency is a partnership project between Prism Arts and folly.

Prism Arts exists to inspire and enable vulnerable groups in Cumbria to celebrate their potential through active participation and exploration of the arts.