Lauren Powell

Images inspired by Shakespeare quotes. Image Explanation 1) I saw the tree as a metaphor for life, it’s abundance of leaves symbolising life’s fruitfulness, whilst the branches reminded me of arms and hands and long, witch-like fingers, wrapping themselves around the tree, into it’s evil clutches. They had a foreboding quality and suggested to me the ‘ill’ that comes as part of life. The ‘hand’s’, coming out of the ground, looked like they were trying to pull the tree down, whilst the tree, erect and soaring upwards towards the sky, represented the idea that the good in life overcomes the bad. Image Explanation 2) The tubs of money stacked prominently high in front of the watching audience, whilst the man played guitar, indicated that he was neither prepared to borrow or lend; visibly working for his money.

I, Peaseblossom & I, Caliban. Written by Tim Crouch. Bristol Old Vic Production in association with Theatre Orchard Project. Actor Jimmy Whiteaker.

Since September 2011 I have been working as an assistant director/facilitator at 'BOCO' - Bournville Community Theatre Company, towards their seasonal festive play 'The Ballad of the Bournville' (directed by Angela Athay-Hunt). Sessions took place every saturday morning, with adults and children and every monday morning, with just adults. This group had an amazing amount of passion and talent, which I found truly inspiring. The play's showing to the public had to be cancelled just before Christmas due to the norovirus getting most of the cast and crew, but the group was able to fall back into rehearsal come january and made its debut on saturday the 21st of Jan 2012.

Here are some stills from a piece of performance art I devised for De Montfort University. The piece was a response to societies 'masking' and restriction of the truth and as a result, how there is always performance within society. I have updated my examples for some of these, some of them upholding even more of a meaning to me now. INSPIRATION: My stimulus for the 'tape' was generated from Eugene Ionesco’s play Hunger and Thirst, as he showed disgust at existence through dirt covering the walls of a family home. A condensed explanation of these can be found in the document entitled "Are YOU Responsible?".