research

Not Knowing workshop promotional collage - from images by Rajni Shah, Helena Suarez and Manuel Vason with SPILL festival

Rajni led this workshop as part of the DIY series of workshops in 2009. Please read on for a copy of the call for proposals and a link to the final report as a PDF.

This article was written for Dance Theatre Journal and exposes some of the processes involved in the making of the art book Point and Place which was awarded a Birgit Skiold Award of Excellence at the London Artists Book Fair 2007. Includes images and words by Julie Brixey-Williams, Camilla Brueton, Simon Kennedy, Theron U.Schmidt, Rajni Shah and Caroline Younger.

A private research and development tool, Rajni has established a solo practice called ‘clowning days’. Like writing with the wrong hand, or standing on one’s head, these days help Rajni to uncover new areas of her performative practice and create a deeper, lighter or darker understanding of herself.

Rajni offers workshops in developing performative presence for adults, which can be booked alongside a performance or separately. Each session provides dedicated time for artists wishing to explore their own performative presence. Rajni creates a nurturing environment in which to challenge patterns and develop confidence through practical exercises and conversation.

During 2008 Rajni ran a series of workshops exploring gifting for an NHS harm reduction service for women who sell sex from the streets of London. This was continuation of the research series small gifts in which Rajni explored the potential role of gifting in opening up new conversations and perspectives in society.

What’s missing – eating, talking, sharing challenge: regaining autonomy in performance training

This workshop was developed out of a desire for community, challenge and peer to peer support specifically amongst mid career solo and independent performance artists. Its aims were to facilitate training for a small group of artists who might come together and create spaces within which to explore different questions around working with the body in performance. The process began with a private blog for four artists - a virtual space in which to share thoughts, questions, images and experiences. After six months of blogging, three of the artists came together in London and each led a day's workshop concluding in a dinner.

Rajni worked with artists Sheila Ghelani, Sally Marie and Kira O'Reilly for this project.

The initial small gifts intervention series took place throughout 2006 and 2007, exploring the role of gift and conversation in public spaces. This research was funded by the Live Art Development Agency through their One to One Bursary scheme, and supported by the Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster, the Colchester Arts Centre and Alternate ROOTS. Continuations of this research include a commission from the Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster in association with Futuresonic, and a commission from The Chelsea Theatre in London, both scheduled for 2008/9.