Following on from the reviews by Rebecca Nice and Paul Medley of DEC’s Luminous Shadows performance at the Old Fire Station in May, Malcolm Atkins (with the support of Ana Barbour, Susie Crow and Kassandra Isaacson) writes about the group’s activities for forthcoming publication in the Open University Associate Lecturers’ Newsletter.  Oxford Dance Writers is delighted to be able to publish this account of the work of this local Oxford arts collective.

DEC Drawing Dance is a group of Oxford based artists who research interactions across different media (DEC stands for Demonstration, Exploration, Collaboration). We began improvising in collaboration between dance, music and visual art in 2009, increasingly using projection to facilitate immediate interaction between the work of visual artists and dancers and musicians, thus blurring the boundaries of performing and visual arts. Since an initial residency at the OVADA Gallery in April 2010, we have appeared twice as part of the Oxford Improvisers’ Cohesion Festival at Pegasus Theatre as well as at Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2010, and the opening of the Other Worlds exhibition at The Story Museum in 2012. (more…)

Luminous Shadows, saw a collection of nine dances teamed with a combination of live music and art. Three visual artists, Clare Bassett, Kassandra Isaacson and Susan Moxley sat at a table in the audience with their paper and inks on display. The marks that they made were simultaneously projected onto the backdrop of the stage by a camera suspended above their table. On stage between the projected image and the artists making it were two dancers, Ana Barbour and Susie Crow and to one side, the musicians Malcolm Atkins and Bruno Guastalla.  Luminous Shadows was created from a concoction of improvisations made in response to each artist’s work; some pieces more structured, others more spontaneous, drawing the audience into a conversation with the artists at play. (more…)

The intimacy of the auditorium combined with the technical range of the Old Fire Station theatre make it an excellent venue for the DEC Project. DEC’s unique combination of dance, music and real-time visual art, with significant elements of improvisation, make heavy demands on set-up and technology. In their performance at the Old Fire Station on Friday all three elements of the performance worked together from the audience perspective. The musicians, Malcolm Atkins and Bruno Guastalla, were visible but not imposing on any sight lines, the three artists, Clare Bassett, Kassandra Isaacson and Susan Moxley, were sitting centrally, visible but not within the performance area thus leaving the stage free for the two dancers, Ana Barbour and Susie Crow. (more…)

DEC is an Oxford based group of established musicians, dancers and visual artists, who explore the interactions between their media through improvised performance and video projection.  Luminous Shadows shows them in action in a selection of poetic and playful collaborations both structured and spontaneous.  This innovative live creative experience has proved fascinating and engaging for audiences, with its unpredictability and intimacy in the moment.

Since 2010 DEC has performed in Oxford at the Pegasus Theatre, OVADA Gallery, The Story Museum and The Old Fire Station, at the Cambridge Festival of Ideas, and has collaborated with the Oxford Improvisers and poets such as Vahni Capildeo and Robin Kirkpatrick.  DEC artists regularly exhibit their work. (more…)

As last year, with Oxford City Artweeks nearly upon us – from Saturday 4th to Sunday 12th May 2013 – drawing your attention to works on display by artists involved in the DEC group and others who have attended the Drawing Dance workshops that happen at URC, in case you want to plan your viewing by a trail themed round images of dance: Clare Bassett, Kassandra Isaacson, Susan Moxley, Caroline Meynell, Manja Scott.  Enjoy! (more…)

Escape the Jubilee with Oxford Improvisers at the Old Fire Station on June 5th!

An evening of performances by the DEC group in collaboration with members of Oxford Improvisers and leading poets.

‘a unique and ground breaking collaboration between four art forms’

The DEC group is:
Malcolm Atkins and Bruno Guastalla: music
Susie Crow and Ana Barbour: dance
Clare Bassett, Kassandra Isaacson, Suzie Moxley: visual art

Featured poets:  Vahni Capildeo, Gavin Selerie

Tuesday  5 June   Doors open from 7:00 pm     Entry: £8/£6
The Loft Room, The Old Fire Station, 40 George St., Oxford OX1 2AQ

evening convened by Malcolm Atkins and Janna Ferrett

Part of the Oxfringe Festival 

With Oxford City Artweeks nearly upon us – from Saturday 12th to Sunday 20th May – drawing your attention to works on display by artists involved in the DEC group and Drawing Dance workshops that happen at URC, in case you wanted to plan a trail themed round images of dance.  Here are some of the artists listed in the ArtWeeks Guide with their site numbers:

272     Kassandra Isaacson:  Drawing Dance and other related images
325 Banbury Road, OX2 7JH
k.isaacson@btinternet.com
16-20 May 2-6pm (Thursday 2-8pm)

279       Caroline Meynell:  Painting in oil and acrylic, alongside drawing, sculpture and wood engraving
St. Michael and All Angels Church, Lonsdale Road, OX2 7ES
http://www.carolinemeynell.co.uk
12-19 May 12-6pm

291        Susan Moxley:  Recent work including painting, print, mixed media and jewelry
43 Oakthorpe Road, OX2 7BD
http://www.susanmoxley.com
12-20 May 12-6pm

304        Clare Bassett:  Lithographic prints and new brush and ink drawings of dancing figures
84 Kingston Road, OX2 6RJ
http://www.clarebasset.com
12-13, 18-20 May 12-6pm