'tongue-tied'
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In my final year at the University of Leeds, I had the opportunity to write, direct and play in a performative essay that was counted as our final year project, the equivalent of a dissertation. I chose to focus my research on the individual’s reaction to being removed from a culturally and linguistically familiar environment. Relying on both personal experience and theoretical research, 'tongue-tied' became a 15-minute performance that was structured around ideas of language identity and using visual metaphor as a tool for communicating that which is hard to speak about verbally.
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The poster made to advertise the performance was inspired by the process of identity formation which resembles a process of collating different influences. The design features a collage of Estonian and English associations. ⟶
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A big part of my devising process was drawing mind maps that helped me capture the visual fragments I had gathered over the first few months of the research process. Some of these ideas never made it to my piece, however, others, such as the hoover and conversation with a tree, made it into the practical essay.
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For the set design, I wanted to create the image of an empty sheet of paper. The minimal decoration would allude to the main character being 'wiped' of all of her language and previously surrounding meaning. It also allowed room to play and bring in meaning with everyday objects that become a part of the main characters identity as the piece progresses.
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'dreamliner'
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In my second year at the University of Leeds, our course did adaptations of Robert Holman’s domestic drama Rafts and Dreams. I designed the poster for advertising and the passenger safety cards used in the piece as props. Inspired by the surrealist nature of the play and our group’s idea to transfer the text to a domestic flight environment, I used elements from both to reimagine the well-known aviation themes in child-like absurdity.
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