Nataraja,
In 2014, artist Ian Nolan approached Catizone and asked to include her performative, durational two hand drawing practice in one of his video works in an exhibition called Collaborations 2014, at Smock Alley Theatre, in Dublin.
Exhibited at
Ian Nolan and Paola Catizone collaborated to produce a film based on Paola’s two-hand drawing performative practice.
Catizone held multiple graphite sticks in each hand to create complex drawings based on simple choreographic parameters:
- No feet and legs movement
- Arm span determining the scale of the drawing
- Repetition and rhythm underlying the movements
Nolan overlapped three layers of video to create the illusion of three identical female figures moving and drawing together, reminiscent of the layering methods used in drawing and painting, with an hypnotic effect.
The spider-like triple figure that emerged seemed to be weaving a thick web of lines, patiently building through repetition. Catizone’s notion of art- making as a meditative practice and of weaving as a metaphor for repairing and healing are embodied in this work.
Nataraja is the many armed god of dance, one of the emanations of the god Shiva in the Hindy tradition. Catizone’s four decades of work as a yoga and movement facilitator influenced the spirit of the two hand drawings, which were at first performed to the sound of Indian Ragas.
For Collaborations 2014, Nataraja was projected on a large sheet of Fabriano paper and presented with an accompanying set of choreographic drawing directions and chunks of graphite for public use. The work became interactive, with public participation filmed and edited into the original video,and incorporated into the projection.