Jo Shapland

Spilt Milk

(milk a white fluid secreted by female mammals for nourishment of their young)

1997 death of a mother previously treated with
a mastectomy.
1997 closure of a dairy farm.

A requiem to a vacated milking parlour
A memorial to a life lived
A gradational walk; a diligent dance with milk and milk products
An installation/performance in memory of
a dairy business and of mothers milk

(memorial contained in the memory - dirge a lament for the dead)

Video collage projected onto milking parlour plan, reconstructed in dried milk from scale drawing. Evoking a sense of a place through video, sound, smell and task-based dance/action. A brim-full milk ladle, carried minimally, trying not to spill a drop. Tracing the reverse of the route taken by the cows for milking. Audience may walk freely to different levels of the space to see the work from different viewpoints (eg floor level and from above).

(Requiem a mass for the repose of the souls of the dead)

Jo Shapland makes performance, short film, live and visual art and music under the umbrella name, Man Troi. Work has so far been shown in varied spaces ranging from disused farm-buildings in Pembrokeshire to more traditional proscenium theatres. Performances and installations have been presented by Chapter and tactileBOSCH, Cardiff, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Project Arts Centre, Dublin.