ailsa richardson: Dreaming of Flying, 1998

Dreaming of Flying was a site specific performance devised by By Word of Mouth that took place at Stapleton Road railway station in Bristol, at sunset on June 9 and 10th, 1998.

I co-directed this with Max Holloway and Claire Mitchell and there were 15 performers.

Here is the information given to the audience:

This site-specific performance is durational and takes place during sunset. Some of the performers are involved in one task only, and stay in their location, but the majority will be using the whole space. There are no set viewpoints, so feel free to move around the site. We have noticed some good vantage points, those being the bridge and the platform we arrive on, but do find a place where you can be comfortable.

We have given you a little book and a pencil which you can use to make your own responses to the site and its users, This is one way in which we have developed this performance, through written and visual responses. When you leave the station, could you please hand your book back to someone who is standing at one of the three main entrances, as we would like to include your responses in a future exhibition about Stapleton Road Station. In return we would like to give you a hand printed railway ticket, made by Ailsa Richardson (see post 28th Feb).

Its content is in response to the site, the surrounding landscape, and those who use it. We have been exploring this space for three and a half months and have found it a beautiful, gentle and exciting place. We hope that you enjoy your experience of this site and our performance.