Performance, People & Place
Dynamic reciprocity, expansive reflexivity & sensitive relations…
Furrow. 1998 Devised and Directed by Tassy Thompson. A multi-site improvisation, dance and movement work and installation tour. Columbus, Ohio. USA
Early Experiments
Like so many art students in the 1980-90’s, Tassy was hugely influenced by working alongside such legends of performative methods of art making as Robert Wilson, Laurie Anderson & Peter Greenaway. Her love of performance was nurtured by Lochaber High School, & The University of Glasgow’s Dept of Theatre. It developed by attending live art performances such as Peter Brook’s staging of Mahabarata in 1988 in Glasgow and Dutch dance troupe NDT and many Edinburgh Festival experiences provided life changing moments of inspiration and aspiration. During her studies Tassy became committed to performative, site & context specific art making through the influence and teaching of David Harding and the Environmental Art Dept of Glasgow School of Art. By 1992 Tassy was working with Dr Graham Maule to create large scale installation and performance works exploring ritual, community and belief.
Blocking Rehearsals (for production of The Old Woman) with Robert Wilson for Summer Programme at The Watermill Centre, 1997. Photo:©The Watermill Centre
Learning from the Masters
Under the mentorship of leading fine art and performance practitioners and academics, including Ann Hamilton and Prof. Jeanine Thompson, at Ohio State University Department of Fine Arts and The Wexner Centre for the Arts Tassy gained skills and insights by training directly in ballet, suzuki training, mime and viewpoints. This period included working directly with leading performers and artists including Anne Bogart & SITI Company, the legendary Marcel Marceau, Mark Dion and The Wooster Group. In 1997 Tassy was invited to attend the Summer Programme of the now world renowned Watermill Centre, learning from Robert Wilson, the internationally recognised, ground breaking multi-disciplinary artist and designer. Tassy continued working for RW Work Ltd and Change Performing Arts from 1997 - 2000 on two international performances; 70 Angels on the Facade for Domus, Milan and the international tour of Death and Destruction in Detroit III. On these tours Tassy shared the stage and learnt from leading performers, dancers and actors including Isabella Rossellini, Meg Harper (Merce Cunningham Dancer) and Fiona Shaw. Tassy returned to Watermill Centre in 2018 to take part in TIMEBOMB with a new performative work, Lys Skår II.
Elvelangs i Kongsberg 2018, Bloomster. Kongsberg, Norway. Photo©3600 nettmagasinett
Performance, People and Place
After returning to Scotland from international study and theatre tours in 2000, Tassy used her professional experiences and new knowledge to bring performative, visual and creative solutions to the challenges of urban renewal and social justice. Beginning with founding the Utheo Ltd Arts Programme in 2000. Collaborating with social and health workers, dancers, filmmakers, drummers, costume makers, poets and craftspeople the programme harnessed the abundance of local talent to build community resilience and foster innovative problem solving. Thus began a 20 year journey of using performative practices to facilitate relational, place and occasion based creativity for the purpose of increased social wellbeing and transformation in places of reduced opportunities due to poverty, pollution and systemic disadvantage. Her most recent projects include a co-designed natural playground in Norway, a digital map of sustainability research and Elvelangs i Kongsberg - a participatory grassroots environmental arts festival celebrating local landscape. In its second year it attracted an audience of over 3500 people on a walking tour of a river with hundreds of performers, musicians and installations.
