SIZE OF COMPANY
2–15 on the road

SCALE OF VENUE
Small-, middle- and large-scale

PERMANENT STAFF
Artist
Michael Mayhew

ARTISTIC POLICY
Michael Mayhew has worked across art forms and in diverse locations across the world. Mayhew makes work through a process of in-depth immersion, of gathering and collecting, of responding to the lives around him. Each work is influenced by its location and surrounding community.

REVIEW EXTRACTS
‘One of the most original and searching artists currently working in the UK live art scene.’ John E McGrath, Artistic Director, Contact, Manchester.

‘It's provocative, it's challenging, and it winds people up. But it also moves and changes people – it's important, significant, and influential.’ Lois Keidan Director, Live Art Development Agency

‘I was struck by the sense of yearning in it… your acknowledgement of yourself as a conduit for other people's stories… its here-now-gone tomorrowness.’ Terry O'Connor, Forced Entertainment

CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Something Tender A performance exploring what it is to be human that closes with a live blood-letting. Each performance responds to the location of performance. (120 mins, 3 on the road.)

The Gathering A large-scale participatory event: six women and six lap artists listen to public stories of vanished people. These stories are then used to create a performance installation of sound. (2 days listening to stories, 120 min performance, 15 on the road.)

The Rituals of Being Not Being Mayhew makes his body a living archive of memories of people who have vanished from our lives. Words are written on the body, washed away, the water cast into ice sculptures. A selection of words are tattooed onto his body. (Durational, 3 on the road.)

333 Mayhew hangs suspended from the ceiling as a bag of his own blood drips slowly on to his body. A durational performance investigating neutrality and witnessing. (3 hours 33 mins, 3 on the road.)

Always Forgetting What Is Beneath Me Re-made for different contexts with local practitioners. Each performer freezes something that matters to them inside a block of ice. For six hours they melt the ice to release their frozen object. (6 hours, audiences are free to come and go, 5 on the road.)

FUTURE PRODUCTIONS
The Vanishing 2008 Mayhew leaves Manchester, England and travels over land to Australia, along a generated line of humanity, visiting geographical locations that are vanishing. He arrives into Brisbane, Australia and performs. Invite him – meet him. An Artsadmin bursary award www.artsadmin.co.uk/projects/bursary-artists.php.

The Exhibition of Humanity Following a global trip Mayhew will exhibit humanity working with the people he met travelling over land from Manchester to Australia.

WRAP-AROUND
In-depth cultural engagement; workshops, lectures, residencies.

RECENT INTERNATIONAL WORK
2007 Australia (Something Tender), Ireland (The Rituals of Not Being)

TOURING AVAILABILITY
Mayhew is travelling over land to Australia. He maybe in a country near you. Make contact with the company.