Our first artist for the upcoming Space and Time to Explore residency is Fred Rush
@fred.on.wire . A former
@galwaycircus student Fred is currently studying
@fontys.circusandperformanceart . We are excited to welcome Fred to Motion Chapel for a week of research.
FRED RUSH
My work begins where discomfort and beauty meet. As a tightwire and glass walker, I explore the fragile balance between elegance and the grotesque. I'm drawn to things that don't fit neatly-awkward gestures, strange textures, uneasy atmospheres,
Taking inspiration from the worlds of Tim Burton, I aim to create spaces that feel slightly out of place-half dream, half distortion-where the familiar twists into something unfamiliar. The wire, the glass, the costume - all are characters in the story. My handmade garments, like a worn suit jacket, full of holes, help shape the tone of the work: raw, offbeat, unpolished. Each element carries a question - what makes something beautiful? What makes it ugly?
Through tension, stillness, and the surreal, I invite the audience to look again. To find beauty where it isn't expected. To stay a moment longer in the uncomfortable.
For this residency I want to explore the practice of glass walking. A practice derived from faquir, it is often quite a confronting practice to watch due to its uncomfortable imagery of broken glass on bare skin. But this is where my practice and aesthetic lays, in this intersection where an audience tries to look away but continues to watch.
My research during the course of this residency will consist of three factors; movement research on the broken glass (taking material from acrobatics and dance), costume research with a suit jacket which has been designed and adapted to allow for interesting imagery research, and finally how these elements come together to create a character and story to share with an audience.
Funded by
@artscouncilireland 
