I Like It. What Is It? is a new residency programme for artists or companies working in radical live performance, taking place across two years. The programme is designed to give artists breathing space to play with and delve into ideas that feel irresistible, challenging and elusive with no pressure to ‘produce’.
Conceived and held by Bristol-based producers MAYK in collaboration with a network of associated artists and producers – this is time, space and connection for the ‘boomerang ideas’; the ones that won’t go away. I Like it. What is it? Prioritises care, slow working, and mischief.
Four artists and companies have now been selected to take part in the residency programme:
Katherine Hall is a dancer, choreographer, performer, producer and holistic massage therapist based in Bristol, UK. They trained in BA Dance and MA Performance Practices at De Montfort University (2009-14). They believe in dancing and make work to give attention to and celebrate the movements, feelings and relations between people and environments and to reflect on and stay in touch with our aliveness. Using improvisation, movement, sound, sensory work, materials, outdoor practices; Katherine creates choreographic works that involve the bringing together of questions, imaginations, observations, play and feeling in different forms of live performance, workshops and writing and presents these nationally and internationally.
Read Katherine’s blog post about their residency ideas.
Malik Nashad Sharpe is an artist working with choreography. Creating primarily underneath the alias Marikiscrycrycry, he creates performances that are formally engaged with the construction of atmosphere, affect, and dramaturgy. His works have been presented internationally and across contexts. Malik has held artistic residencies at Sadlers Wells (UK), Barbican Open Labs (UK), and Primary (UK). As a movement director, he has worked on the creative teams for Fairview (Young Vic), The Glow (Royal Court), and Two-Character Play (Hampstead Theatre).
Read Malik’s blog post about their residency ideas.
Luca Rutherford is a Newcastle based artist, making new socially engaged work that sparks conversations inside and outside of theatre spaces. She is an associate artist of ARC Stockton, Cambridge Junction and a movement practitioner with Frantic Assembly. Luca is a writer, performer and dramaturg that asks big questions with playfulness. Her artistic vision is to create work that is softly fierce and fiercely soft. In process and final design, her practice revolves around the creation of community, holding space for conversation, humour and play. Her work is rooted in intersectional feminism. It is for the adventurous, and also the shy. It is for those who are curious and who want a safe space to explore what feels messy.
Read Luca’s blog post about their residency ideas.
Malaika Kegode and Handina Dutiro are sisters based in Bristol. Malaika – the older of the two – is a writer and spoken word artist with a background in film and theatre, while younger sister Handina is a songwriter and self-taught music producer. The pair grew up singing and playing instruments together, bonded by a love and passion for music. Since then, Malaika has gone on to write and perform professionally across a variety of stages. Most recently, her autobiographical spoken word gig/theatre show ‘Outlier’ (2022) was co-produced by Bristol Old Vic. Similarly, Handina’s musical prowess has led to them playing with bands Disaster Clinic and ZENA at festivals around the country, such as Valley Fest, Harbour Festival and BIMM Live.
