‘Choreography of trust’ began as an international exchange project. The idea grew between two old friends Cat Sivertsen and Sarah Grace Dye who have often experienced parallels in their work from their first meeting until now. With sixteen or so years and more than 4,000 miles between them how is it that parallels are so clear? This is being explored by them both through a mail art exchange over six months culminating in an intensive six weeks together part of which will be a residency at Omenica Arts Centre in Prince George, British Columbia. Along the way they intend to collect other women creating a circle of trust and great experimental work that will extend far and wide. Over all the aims of this project are to encourage and develop bonds between women of all ages and backgrounds from all over our planet who experience very similar life happenings, emotions and daily experiences that can be explored and supported by an innate creative expression. Who knows where this will all end up!’
Shortly after this first statement was written COVID 19 happened.
Whilst the artists continued to mail each other postcards the world around them changed. Their physical environments became ones of restriction as well as impacting in a similar way on their mental environments. The focus of the wider environment changed both politically and practically. All of this change has created a unique time in our history and this project will inevitably reflect these paradigm shifts. As time went by it became apparent that travel for Sarah would not be possible physically or financially was the project doomed?
Having been born initially from a long distance friendship and with the tenacity and ingenuity characteristic of the pair and maybe artists on the whole, conversations were had to construct a new approach enabling the project to move forward. Wherever possible the initial aims and plans have been kept in place using technology to enable inclusion of Sarah in the UK with events as they unfold in Canada. The narrative has shifted from simply being about friendship and working that out together through the visual arts into a fly on the wall type documentation into life during COVID 19 commenting on physical space, mental health, restriction and lack of materials to create.
The documentation will include a large collection of postcards which have gone to and from Canada, UK and Germany. Each one begun by one of the artists and completed by the other, ultimately reunited back in Canada. A film will be made of the private moment of revelation when the two will share their responses with each other via the powers of the internet. Subsequent work will be made by both in separate spaces one in Canada and one, by then, in Iceland but with close contact and discussion about the process as it unfolds. During the month of July an exhibition of the postcards and film will be available to view at Omenica with an opening event, workshop and closing event all hosted physically by Cat and virtually by Sarah.
