RIPPLE EFFECT BY IRINA SKVORTSOVA

Kingston Shebang Ripple Effect

Chantal Thompson and Irina Skvortsova studio practice

​

I connected to Chantal during one of Andrea’s movement workshops. This was early on. We were doing a type of movement improv. I was watching Chantal and she was totally cracking me up! We hadn’t really talked or exchanged many words until this point. Chantal’s comedic, goofy energy attracted me immediately in it’s playfulness, cheekiness and honesty. I wanted to move closer to her and jam with her somehow in this silliness that was being created. Several times while doing movement improv next to Chantal I burst out laughing. It was not through group discussions but rather through group movement that I felt an affinity with this person. After Shebang was over I moved to Gananoque which was closer to where Chantal lives. Now that we were more or less ‘rural neighbours’ we had another thing in common. Meeting up seemed so much more doable now. We were a bit closer distance wise and I had a nice big house that I was keen to use for studio practice. Chantal was keen on exploring drawing. I was happy to have a drawing partner with whom I could continue working on my ‘apartment interiors’ series. The first time Chantal came over we drew side by side for 7 hours. After that session we knew we could and should! do this regularly. We stuck religiously to drawing together every Wednesday. That kind of committed rigorous practice cemented for me my self-conception as a visual artist. At some point Chantal and I intend to do an intimate canoe performance along Kingston’s waterfront, a theme very much inspired by ideas that came out of early Shebang workshops.