Case Study
21 Scores for Losing Yourself in a Body
Photo Credit Hanna Moon
Role
Artist, Director, Installation Producer
Location
Laurie Grove Baths, South London, UK
Format
Performance-derived moving image and spatial installation
Project Overview
21 Scores for Losing Yourself in a Body is a performance-led moving image project that unfolded across two distinct but interrelated outcomes:
- The Quest — a cinematic work distilled from live somatic performance
- 21 Scores — a site-responsive installation integrating film, textile, sound, and architecture
Both works emerged from the same choreographic and conceptual framework, translating embodied performance into different registers: one cinematic, one spatial.
Context
The project was developed for exhibition within the Laurie Grove Baths, a historic public bathhouse in South London with strong architectural constraints and a charged relationship to bodies, movement, and ritual.
Working with 34 London-based performers, the project explored how somatic scores could be used to generate both ephemeral performance and durable visual forms across film and installation.
The Brief
To develop and deliver a spatially responsive project that translated live somatic performance into a cinematic and scenographic environment, integrating moving image, textile, sound, and architecture.
The work needed to:
- hold the integrity of live performance
- respond to a complex historic site
- function as both exhibition and filmic output
- support multiple audience modes of encounter
What I Led
Concept & Framework
- Developed the overarching conceptual and spatial framework linking somatic performance, film, and installation
- Designed a score-based methodology that allowed each performer to work from their own embodied practice while remaining legible within a shared inquiry
Performer Direction
- Worked one-on-one with 34 performers to design individualized somatic scores
- Directed live performance sessions that balanced structure with improvisation
- Maintained cohesion across a large group while preserving each performer’s distinct physical language
Moving Image Production
- Directed and filmed performances using both digital video and hand-processed 16mm film
- Managed parallel capture workflows to preserve texture, rhythm, and material specificity
- Oversaw hand-processing, scanning, and post-production of analog film materials
Installation & Spatial Design
- Designed the installation layout in dialogue with the architectural scale and circulation of the Laurie Grove Baths
- Produced and installed six large-scale silk organza prints (300cm x 100cm), using translucency and movement to shape audience navigation
- Integrated projection, sound, and textile elements into a cohesive scenographic environment
- Coordinated material fabrication, installation logistics, and on-site assembly within a live exhibition context
Outcome I: The Quest (Cinematic Work)
Format
Single-channel film derived from live performance
Focus
- Translating somatic scores into a cinematic language
- Preserving intimacy, rhythm, and bodily presence
- Shaping performance into a durational, watchable film experience
Result
- A focused cinematic work capable of circulating independently of the installation
- Demonstrated ability to translate experimental performance into a filmic format without flattening its embodied intelligence
- Positioned the project within artist film and moving-image contexts, including screenings and commissions
Outcome II: 21 Scores (Installation)
Format
Multi-element spatial installation
Components
- Hand-processed 16mm film and digital projection
- Six silk organza prints (300cm x 100cm)
- Sound and architectural integration
- Performance-derived moving image
Focus
- Activating a historic site through image, material, and movement
- Creating a durational environment rather than a fixed viewing position
- Allowing audiences to encounter performance through space rather than narrative
Result
- A fully realized, site-responsive installation that activated the Laurie Grove Baths
- Successfully coordinated a large group of performers within a unified exhibition framework
- Demonstrated capacity to lead complex, interdisciplinary projects involving bodies, space, image, and material at scale
Impact
- Translated ephemeral live performance into both cinematic and exhibition-ready forms
- Demonstrated dual fluency in moving image direction and spatial installation
- Balanced conceptual rigor with large-scale production logistics
- Established a methodology for score-based collaboration across film and performance