Conversations with an umbrella

Conversations with an Umbrella is the outcome of a collaboration exploring Ephemeral Animation with Nenagh Watson, puppeteer and Research Fellow at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.

Watson is fascinated by objects that move without human control and at the mercy of the elements.  “Consider following an umbrella or a plastic bag as they are carried by the wind. Their movements are created by natural forces rather than the hands of a puppeteer.”

Observing umbrellas, as well as her earlier work with Polish theatre director Tadeusz Kantor (whom she describes as having said that the umbrella’s metal skeleton explodes like fireworks) and discussion inspired this collaboration.

Umbrellas, plastic bags, pieces of rope… all discarded items of human debris that fly in the wind or float in the water. From Watson’s Duchampian notion of ‘found’ movement that has been created by chance,Watson examines moments of tension and freedom, stillness and motion and uses these to inform her work in puppetry. She says her eyes have become opened to the world of random movement around her. For Watson, this is all part of making herself and her presence obsolete in the work. To be without ego.

Conversations has been perfomed in London, Leicester, Nottingham, Czech Republic and Southampton.

background : Matthews and Watson first met at the Cheltenham Arts Festival in 1992. Later they worked together on a futurist performance with doocot Theatre, Manchester in 2001. This is their first collaboration as duo. They also share a past with Perfect Mary, The Fabulous Dirt Sisters and Greenham Common, 1985.