The Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry
Anna Betbeze TOUCH Workshop
written by
Harrison Apple
In its fifth year stewarding the Sylvia & David Steiner Speaker Series, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry’s Director Nica Ross brought Los Angeles-based artist and educator Anna Betbeze to conduct her TOUCH workshop with students, faculty and staff at Carnegie Mellon University. The TOUCH workshop stems from Betbeze’s research with world-famous filmmaker/animator Jan Švankmajer. After the former Czechoslovakian government censored his filmmaking, Švankmajer's practice moved into the world of proprioceptive touch and sensation, designing objects and environments that could not be censored by shutting down a projector.
Betbeze's three-day workshop included a compelling lecture on her work as a painter and maker producing large scale works of vibrant color, utilizing unconventional materials and techniques including faux fur and burning logs. Her opening lecture introduced eager participants to the core element of the workshop, conditioning them to perceive themselves in space without relying on visually dominant strategies. Betbeze’s workshop contributes to critical pedagogical theories by building on what each person brings to the learning environment, then offering guidance and instruction based on what is available as a new group of creative investigators. Over the last two days, participants built stunning armatures designed to amplify sensations and change the way we move with one another.
On the final day of the workshop, the STUDIO opened its doors to the public. The participants and observers merged into a playful group of co-conspirators, adapting one another to movement machines, balancing, walking and feeling sympathetically.
