Press Release: J Neve Harrington presents new work SOME TIMES in Lilian Baylis Studio debut

[Jan McNulty]

J Neve Harrington   SOME TIMES       Wednesday 11 – Friday 13 October  Tickets: £17  Ticket office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com     Tuan Ly by Rino Pucci J Neve Harrington makes her Lilian Baylis Studio debut with the world premiere of SOME TIMES, a new full-length work, from Wednesday 11 – Friday 13 October.     SOME TIMES considers the different ways in which time organises experiences, referencing the climate crisis, the digital space, geological movements and distinctly human time scales. The production offers possibilities for how we might hold space together, across generations, at this moment in time.     On the Lilian Baylis Studio’s intimate stage, the show is performed in the round by an intergenerational cast of professional artists and a community cast of local young adults from Big Creative Education, London’s largest creative college. The show explores the dichotomy of lightness and darkness, and asks: what should we pay attention to in the present, and might that choice impact future generations?      The set design for SOME TIMES includes hand-made fabric collages. The wool used in the space is donated by Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie, a centuries old needlecraft brand inspiring creativity and community, one stitch at a time.     SOME TIMES builds on a body of work that explores how we experience the passing of time. Harrington’s 2013 work 10 Minutes, which was presented in a disused shop space in Archway, asked people to donate a moment to hold still. The Human Clock (big time) also challenged the notion of time, with a handmade paper clock performers moved themselves.     Harrington’s work includes writing, dance, choreography, drawing, video, installation, costume and space design, often in durational formats where audiences can participate in different ways. Her research focuses on neurodivergent information and sensory processing. She mainly works in gallery and non-stage spaces and creates in various collaborative relationships, including with long-term dance collaborator Elisa Vassena. Harrington has worked with Newcastle’s Dance City, Scottish Dance Theatre & V&A Dundee, Arnolfini in Bristol, Turner Contemporary and BALTIC CCA Gateshead amongst others.    J Neve Harrington says: “SOME TIMES is my largest work to-date, bringing together the different modalities I work with in movement, text and visual design aspects. Working within a theatre space in this format is a new challenge for me. I’ve found myself really having to renew my commitment to lean into intuition around how images, textures and words collide in this work, bringing my experience in other presentation formats to shape a journey which is sometimes dense whilst also allowing a spaciousness that invites audiences to meet the work in their own way(s).     “As I have been feeling my way between what I perceive as the conventions of the theatre space, I’ve wondered if this ambitious work might be the strangest I’ve ever made.    “The work is both a culmination of research into time(s), and a step into a different way of making. SOME TIMES at Sadler’s Wells brings together multiple strands of my work in new ways, including set design, choreography, writing, costuming and performance.”     Contains mild swearing (not suitable for children under 12 years)    Audio described and Relaxed performance on Thursday 12 October at 8 pm with accompanying Touch Tour at 7 pm    SOME TIMES is co-Commissioned by Dance City and South East Dance. Supported by Arts Council England and Bonnie Bird Choreography Fund. Supported through residencies with Siobhan Davies Dance, FABRIC and Old Diorama Arts Centre.     Notes to editors:

About J Neve Harrington  J Neve Harrington (London, UK) is an artist whose work includes writing, dance & choreography, drawing, video, installation, costume and space design. She works mainly in gallery and non-stage spaces where her work prioritises explorations around access, play, agency, confrontation by times/scales beyond the human, neuroqueer experiences of information processing and attention.     Harrington’s recent works include Satelliser: a dance for the gallery (2016/21) developed at Copeland Gallery, London and Villa Empain, Brussels and presented at BALTIC CCA, Gateshead UK, Turner Contemporary, Margate UK in 2021 and NottDance, Nottingham UK in 2022. A digital publication and podcast series satellising.com, accompanies the live performances, offering insight into the processes and contexts surrounding the work.    Screensaver Series (premiere 2018, Dance Umbrella London) is a kaleidoscopic dance and sound work which explores a neurodivergent attentional space and has been presented at Uferstudios/ PURPLE Berlin, Inkonst Malmö, Wellcome Collection UK, Dance Umbrella UK, Dance North Scotland, Tanz in Winterthur Switzerland. Digital versions of the work including the video essay believe/been (2020) have been screened in various USA and UK contexts.     Harrington recently completed a commissioned work storage for future sunsets with Scottish Dance Theatre & V&A Dundee, which is a durational work for the company and their first work for gallery spaces. sffs also features set, film and costumes created by Harrington for Scottish Dance Theatre.    Other works include good luck dinosaur (2020, Fest en Fest, London), UNFRIENDING (2021, The Place), never closer to midnight (2019, Reading University), The Human Clock (2013, A Million Minutes), Roundhouse 2014, Dance Live Aberdeen 2016, Sånafest Norway 2017, Rise Findhorn 2019, STACK (2018, Horniman Museum), V&A Museum 2018, V&A Museum of Childhood 2018, Our City Dances 2019, and The Performing Book (2011, Camberwell College of Arts), Brighton Festival 2015, Sadler’s Wells Presents: Wilderness Festival 2018, Et20l’Été Paris 2019.    Harrington’s educational background is in visual arts, psychology and dance. As a performer she has worked within museum and gallery contexts across Europe including Palais de Tokyo, Fondation Beyeler, Venice Biennale, Het Stedelijk, Kiasma, Fondation Boghossian. She was a board member of Chisenhale Dance Space in London 2020-22 and was involved with Engagement Arts Belgium 2017/18. Teaching engagements include: Winchester University, London College of Fashion, London College of Communication, Loughborough University, The Place, Trinity Laban, Independent Dance, [openclass], PRAXIS Oslo, Danscentrumsyd Malmö, Uferstudios Berlin, Nottingham Centre for Advanced Training, The Place Centre for Advanced Training. She works to support other artists with access through grant-writing, and mentors around neurodiversity in dance.    www.jnharrington.com @j.neve.harrington    About Sadler’s Wells  Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.    We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.    Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage. In 2024 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the Choreographic School and Hip Hop Theatre Academy.    Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.    Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.    Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.    www.sadlerswells.com  Facebook: @SadlersWells   Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells   Instagram: @sadlers_wells   YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre