Lunchtime Performance- Altjeringa with Simon Thompson and Lucy Dawson

Altjeringa is a masked performance piece that explores the relationship between the face and body in storytelling. The equivocal mask has specifically been chosen to allow for the possibility of multiple meanings, especially with intent to deceive or misguide; deliberately ambiguous in order to focus the observer’s attention on the body. Is it possible to create a shared experience or a connection with another person when we remove the most social part of our anatomy, or can we create something deeper, something almost spiritual? Our narrative draws on inspiration from aboriginal ‘creation stories’ often known as ‘dreaming’. These traditional and ancient stories help to reflect the place of the mask in tribal, ritual and even sacred performances.

Simon Thompson is a clown, bouffon, and director. He trained with Jaques LeCoq and Phillipe Gaulier and has over 30 years experience of performing throughout Europe and Asia. In 2014, Simon embarked on a solo performance project with his self penned work “Clown Noir, This is me”, which successfully toured Ireland, U.K and Denmark. In 2015 he toured internationally with  “Peines d’amour perdues”, a clown adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labours Lost”. In 2016 he toured internationally in the U.S.A with “Nose Business” the final part of the Clown Noir trilogy. Simon is also a Lecturer on the M.A. Festive Arts programme and a PhD research candidate at the Irish World Academy. His PhD project is entitled: “A Creative Pedagogy through Mask and Clown”.

Lucy Dawson is a Contemporary Dance Artist, Photographer and Film Maker from Keith in Scotland. She began her dance training at The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance in Dundee and continued her training at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds, where she received her BPA in Contemporary Dance Performance. Since graduating in 2007, Lucy has lived in London and has been involved in a number of diverse projects, ranging from music videos to advertisements, dance pieces, plays, musicals, site specific projects and films. She is currently resident in Limerick, Ireland, having recently completed the MA Contemporary Dance Programme at The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.