Blue Cow
How do we survive contamination? What does it mean to live on soil that can poison and destroy? Based on research about communities living with these questions, Blue Cow is a new programme of performance that explores what it means to be contaminated. This is a humorous and dark story that is both personal and universal.
Blue Cow has evolved out of Alice’s engagement with a scientific report, published in 2010, which gathered extensive data on the experiences of people living near contaminated land in Sydney, Australia (her home city). One of Alice’s initial motivations for developing Blue Cow was to make more visible the psychological and social implications of land contamination for individuals, families and communities.
In autumn 2017, Alice invited dramaturg Caitlin Skinner, composer Thomas Butler, video designer Rob Jones and visual artist Valerie Reid to explore the sonic and visual possibilities of Blue Cow. A key question addressed was how cultural practitioners can contribute to a wider cultural shift towards a more environmentally sustainable society. The development period was supported by Edinburgh City Council’s New Work Fund and by Creative Carbon Scotland.
Images from development week:
Video from Development week 2017, supported by Edinburgh City Council New Work Grant and in partnership with Creative Carbon Scotland.