‘What It Is Rite’ (2016) is building on previous works creating empathic and uplifting experiences. I am interested in ‘sense of place’ and ‘other spaces’. Sense of place is the emotional attachment people have to locations. Other spaces are locations where people behave differently unlike everyday situations like being at home.

In common with these past works, ‘What It Is Rite’ explores the human condition and the fragility of human relationships. In particular the tipping point between feeling safe and unsafe. Safe and unsafe ‘spaces’ can be found in our every day experiences. A physical location, a word or a gesture can delineate the transition from feeling safe to unsafe and back again. These ideas were explored through a light installation, an audio work and a dance performance.

Originated as part of Beneath The Surface the first (smaller) version of The What It Is Rite 01 (2015) was developed via walking and bus journeys across Newport (Wales, UK) eavesdropping on conversations. A collection of phrases particular to the local vernacular were collated and edited.

My work is concerned with positive and empathic experiences. In previous works I have collated and exhibited positive affirmation phrases. In delving below the surface of Newport, the word ‘safe’ seemed to have a particular resonance. Its local use as a positive affirmation statement, as a greeting and as an alternative to ‘yes’ , made it a particularly pertinent starting point for a work. Its more usual meaning of security points to the tension between local and non-local perceptions of Newport.