When was the Last Time You Felt Like All the Air had been Sucked Out of You?
Performed MakeTank, 2023, Battersea Arts Centre, 2023 and Exeter Northcott Theatre 2024
For venue and organisations interested in supporting this unique, audience responsive and timeless commentary on care and disabled resilience, please see our tour/info pack, or scroll down to experience some of the audience feedback we gathered
Experience the work live - Enter a space of joy, connection, empathy and creativity with performance, sound and projection being generated before your very eyes. Yet for disabled artist Hugh, something doesn’t feel right. As a performer, used to being the centre of attention, the spotlight of a lonely, discriminating and relentless assessment process seems to be too much. Memories of these ‘tests of worth’ clash with the here and now, threatening to overwhelm Hugh’s identity.
Whether you are right in the middle, like a mosh pit of creative expression, shift either side of the fourth wall or more conventionally from the outside looking in, Squeeze Box demands a response from all in the room – the question is, with a system requiring even more ticking of boxes, what space is left for humanity?
The space will be open from noon, with the invitation to come and go and experience/interact with (workshop) projection, soundscaping and creativity along the themes of identity and how we care for one another.
All proceeds go to help MakeTank support more local independent artists.
Audience feedback
‘Love how open it is to interpretation. As an audience we are always thinking’
‘Something about the space I just wanted to play and get involved’
‘Really thought provoking. incredible work’
October 2023, We transformed a non-traditional creative shopfront space into an ultimate expression of care, companionship and disability as positive identity. This page aims to gather insight, catches and feedback from this extraordinary creative journey. It is lightly put together, but we can send you more images, video, testimony, reflections, as well as a full recording of the entire performance. Squeeze Box 23 was informed by a rich R&D, testing out concepts of projections, performance and sound creations, all live and in the moment. You can read more about how the artists brought concept to life here.
The We: a collaboration of projection artists, musicians, videographers, live performers and writers who are experimenting, perfecting and reflecting with sound, projection, performance and live installation/duration. Squeeze Box explores disability, voice, care, rage and support; protesting objectifying medical/social assessments whilst celebrating individuality and dependency.
The idea that a live audience are extra bodies within the space and integral to the performance. All individuals come with their own unique lived experiences, opinions, feelings and responses and we are interested in what unites us. Maybe a universal experience witnessing or interacting with care giving and receiving/support giving and receiving. ‘Could you just…’ is a start of an offer that empowers the audience … being asked to help gives permission to help and be involved thus creating a sense of commonality…
Audience responses
Definitely a thing worth seeing more than once
The performance needs to be experienced by all!
‘Love how open it is to interpretation. As an audience we are always thinking’
‘Something about the space… I just wanted to play and get involved’
‘Really thought provoking. Incredible work’
A brave and generous glimpse of the kaleidoscope of being alive
The relaxed, accessible nature of the space was brilliant to watch and be in too.
I 100% experienced joy! Thank you! The Squeeze Box experience is a journey with so many feelings and I was completely engaged I felt a connection with the narrative but also the people
Follow this link for more written feedback gathered at MakeTank 2023
“The universal experience of breathing is both inherently shared and deeply personal”