Skin Deep
25th June 2009
Skin Deep
"The Wounded Selkie” is an old myth with a contemporary resonance. It speaks of the journey from anger to forgiveness, from prejudice to tolerance and of how we might learn to live alongside the “other”.
Visual Art, Music and Dance combine to tell this story in another way and invites’ the audience into a world of emotion and mystery, to look more than “Skin Deep”
This production integrates traditional art forms with digital technologies to develop new possibilities of expression.
Each performance has improvised sections and is therefore a unique experience every time.
Maria Hayes making the drawings during the performance.
Photo Brian Tarr
This collaboration grew out of an earlier work “Vesica Piscis” from Maria Hayes and Paul Davies. The drawing projection technology, the international dimension and multi-language soundtrack are important developments in “Skin Deep”.
Skin Deep drawing
Maria Hayes has exhibited and performed professionally since 1985 and has work in private and public collections internationally. She is currently undertaking a practice based PhD in Fine Art at Aberystwyth University.
Paul Davies’ professional performance career has spanned 19 years to include works by Bill T Jones, Merce Cunningham, Akram Khan, Henri Oguike and Jasmin Vardimon.
Sandra Rosado danced with the world famous Ballet Gulbenkian and is now pursuing a career as an independent artist in Portugal.
Pedro Carneiro is Chief Conductor/Artistic Director of the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and is an internationally renowned musician and composer.
Film maker Pete Telfer recently recorded 'Skin Deep' on behalf of Culture Colony - Y Wladfa Newydd. Pete has worked with Maria before and together they produced a film documenting the creative processes involved in making the series of paintings 'Long Walks'. This film will also be available here on this web site. It has already proved a valuable resource as a teaching aid in schools.
Long Walks
Maria Hayes taking a break during one of her 'Long Walks'
Photo Pete Telfer
The Long Walks series were created over 9 months. The same walk was undertaken each time and Maria drew as she walked in an A6 sketchbook. She then worked on 9 larger long papers in the studio recreating the walk in mud, ink and charcoal, working on each image in sequence throughout the changing seasons.
Long Walks detail
“The mountain I live on is called Manod. During World War II all the paintings from the National Gallery were brought to North Wales and hidden in this mountain. Although they have been returned long ago I like to think the mountain remembers the images it protected. Perhaps the colours permeated the rock and flowed down the valley in swollen streams. Perhaps the Vale of Ffestiniog still dreams of paintings tucked under the rocks and secret images reside in the moss on the walls.
The weather, animals and earth witness my walks on the mountain and the walk goes through me making its own story on the paper as I draw. During a walk your head and eyes move as your gaze shifts, up and down from horizon to detail.
In the studio I make a mark, I leave a trace, I step back to see if it feels right, if not, I work again.
I try to be as close as I can to the original experience drawing on memory as well as the sketchbook. I want to make a composite image the has looking and walking embedded in the marks. The drawing aims to translate linear, time bound, four dimensional experience in two dimensions.” Maria Hayes
Long Walks in exhibition
Photo of Sandra Rosado by Brian Tarr
Also See -
Skin Deep Part 1 video
Skin Deep Part 2 video
Skin Deep Part 3 video
Long Walks video
Maria Hayes Profile
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