Hold my hand, don't let go. It's too dark, but don't turn back. We're beneath a blue moon.

Welcome to Ausform - an imaginary landscape full of beauty. An evening of puppetry, performance art, films, physical theatre and the extraordinary. Since September 2009, curator Lina B. Frank has been staging Ausform Platform of Performance at the Cube Microplex. For a special site-specific Mayfest edition we welcome it into Bristol Old Vic’s Paintshop.

Limited capacity. Book early to avoid disappointment. This is a promenade performance.

Full programme now announced!

Keep checking www.ausform.co.uk for updates! For more info contact Lina B. Frank lina@ausform.co.uk

Fabulous and Monstrous Discoco (Eleanor Clare)
Eleanor Clare is a performance artist. Her work explores how identity and emotion are projected – particularly in relation to sentimentality. As an artist she attempts to convey emotion that, at the time of the performance, she can completely believe in.

The work is always caught between earnestness and knowingness. This work is in collaboration with Ben Trinkle. You are invited to enter a realm of fantasy in which belief could be temporarily suspended. Anything is possible: young women can float serenely up to the moon, while a beautiful angel will come down and sweep you off your feet.

An atmospheric collage of urban site recordings and acoustic melody accompanies a projection of images. This covers, and at times illuminates the performer, Discoco (Eleanor Clare, as she sings seemingly disjointed excerpts from the tales of five characters, inspired by mythology and folklore, that she embodies. www.discoco.net

Anja Zuber
Anja was brought into the world in Switzerland. Here she was raised in the ten safe hands of five mothers. Out of this childhood grew a violinist who wanted to become a circus artist. 10 years ago She started professionally doing circus in England and since 5 years she has her own contemporary circus company “Fan-Atticks” in Sweden. On stage Anja expresses herself using experiences from her life, giving the audience a glimpse of the things in between, of the invisible. Anja makes herself heard through silences, movements and words. www.fan-atticks.com

Everything and Nothing
Everything and Nothing is Hannah Sullivan and Annelies Puddy who recently graduated from Dartington. Since then they moved to Bristol and have embarked on a series of ambitious projects. Annelies and Hannah are now part of the Ausform team and have created a puppetry piece especially for the evening. Hannah is also known for her new theatre company Open Batch which has performed recently at BLOP and Prototype.

The Fat Lady Dances On The Head of A Pin: Tanya Morel
A delightful and playful short film where film maker Tanya creates a quirky world for her character using pixelation.

'Erm no...' – Denise Goldman & Carly Ethrington
Erm no…is a light hearted piece that plays with what is and is not there, taking as its starting point one character’s bizarre personality based illusions in an exploration of how and why we populate our world with people that don’t exist.

Carly Etherington and Denise Goldman are Bristol-based artists who collectively make work in dance, theatre and live art, which often comments on the element of ridiculous. www.petertellslies.co.uk

Blue Flower Commission: Natasha Fewings
www.dancecelebration.co.uk
A powerful performer and dance artist who engages with a strong physicality and determined, committed attitude. Her creative and passionate nature is expressed through her choreography, stage presence and audience engagement. Natasha's imaginative approach to new challenges and concepts is seen in her curiosity to explore and study new styles. This makes Natasha perfect for the blue flower commission. Which is a bespoke piece commissioned by Ausform investigating the German mythology of the blue flower.

Natasha trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and performed with Edge – London School of
Contemporary Dance's postgraduate company working with choreographers such as Hofesh Schecter, Maresa von Stockert and Charles Linehan.

Who is Guilty? L-Vital (Derek Bowerman, Carmen Gabriele)
Poverty drives people to desperate acts. Sometimes love is the last glimmer of hope as the boundaries between sanity and madness dissolve. What makes a criminal mind? Who is responsible? The individual? A sick and unequal society? Authority? All are to blame. A modern day story loosely based on Dostoevsky’s Classic ‘Crime and Punishment’. We are presenting a section of the full show which can be seen at The Boneyard Bar, Bristol on Weds 26 May.

L-vital is a collaboration between Derek Bowerman (dance theatre director and performer) recently returned to the U.K. after 10 years working in Spain, and Carmen Gabriele, Italian actress. Live music from Ian Perry.

Zoe Padley
Zoe Padley is a theatre designer, a physical theatre performer and Ausform all-time favourite. Zoe is based in London and dazzles and charms her audience with her ever so quirky character based pieces. A graduate from Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design and LISPA (London International School of Performing Art she brings us some of her newest work.

Also featuring music by
Ebe Oke www.myspace.com/ebeokemusic
Miriam Casal Ea7_dmz www.myspace.com/ea7dmz