water has a shape
a conversation between music, ice, and dance on film
shooting february 2023
Project overview
water has a shape is an experimental project filmed over a long weekend in New Hampshire, combining figure skating and place-based musical composition. This is a part of an ongoing project called There:There, an ongoing seasonal residency working to build a cross-discipline artistic network through collaboration and improvisation.
Figure skating is an especially siloed form of expression — it often only takes place for select audiences, in spaces that are inaccessible to most. The creative expression of many skaters is stifled by the skatings formal and rigid structure. water has a shape dissolves these barriers, creating a film that is a unique combination of experimental expression, ice dance, and documentary.
Production schedule & location
Thurs, Feb 23 | Fri, Feb 24 | Sat, Feb 25 | Sun, Feb 26 |
Travel to NH, recording setup and camera prep | Ice scout, scout photography, music composition | Production Day (filming in morning, final music recording) | Travel home from NH |
We will be shooting on a lake in the region, depending upon the ice conditions. We will be assisted by our ice scout Matt Steinberg.
We have booked lodging for the dates above, and will be keeping an eye on ice conditions in the surrounding areas to make a final call as to which lakes have the most suitable ice for our project.
Lodging location: Meredith, New Hampshire.
Lake Willoughby. Photo by Evan Perkins
Collaborators
Miles Chandler, Musical Director, Musician, Boston, MA
Clara-Sophia Daly, Project Director, Figure Skater, Miami, FL
Liz Yoshiko Schmidt, Skating Director, Brooklyn, NY
Adam Simon, Director of Photography, Producer, Washington, DC
Danil Berdnikov, figure skater, Brooklyn, NY
Kevin Bloom, strings, Burlington, VT
Ben Curell, percussion, Boston, MA
Greg Freeman, strings, Burlington, VT
Fabienne Jean, violin, Brooklyn, NY
Noah Kesey, bass, Burlington, VT
Brennish Thomson, fiddle, Lee, NH
Costs & Fundraising Link
Lodging | $1,500 |
Transportation | $500 |
Compensating local ice safety scouts | $400 |
Camera Package | Already owned |
8mm film | Already owned |
8mm film processing | 7 rolls x $90 = $630 |
Additional production equipment | $200 |
TOTAL | $3,230 |
Tax deductible donations can be made here.
Principal Collaborators
Clara-Sophia Daly, Project Director, Figure Skater
Clara-Sophia Daly is a journalist, videographer, storyteller, and artist. As a former competitive ice dancer, she believes there is untapped potential in experimenting with ways to record art creation on ice in natural environments. She hopes to bring her experience and passion for documentary filmmaking, film production, figure skating, and music together for this project. When not filming people skate on frozen lakes, she is an investigative reporter and videographer for The Miami Herald.
clarasophidaly.com
Adam Simon, Director of Photography & Producer
Adam Simon is a film producer, musician, and artist. His work ranges from independent documentary film to photography to folk songwriting, all with an eye/ear towards community-building through art. As an associate producer at People’s Television, Adam has made short documentary content for a wide range of organizations, brands, and causes. He moonlights as a radio DJ at WOWD, the low-power community station in his home of Washington, DC.
adamsimon.cargo.site
Elizabeth Yoshiko Schmidt, Skating Director & Choreographer
Liz Schmidt is a professional figure skater and coach whose dynamic artistic range on ice has brought her around the world to perform for international crowds. She is a US Figure Skating double gold medalist and has a B.F.A. in painting from the SF Art Institute. Approaching ice-skating from this multidisciplinary her movement on ice combines luscious edges, painterly contortion, and traditional ice dancing. She’s excited at the prospect of bringing ice skating to new audiences.
Principal Collaborators
Miles Chandler, Musical Director
Miles is the creative director and founder of the There:There art collective, an advocate for inclusive community-forward arts space, and an active participant in the Boston music scene. He does policy and planning-oriented research for ICIC, a national nonprofit specializing in equitable small business assistance.
Artistic approach
The origins of skating are not based as a sport or competition, though it has certainly evolved and grown under this discipline. The pioneers in popular skating were involved more so in dance, ice dancing. In the natural setting of a lake or pond, gracious movement on ice stands out as an artistic act in itself, one divorced from the context of competition. The setting, the conditions of ice-skating take place, is a real and essential element to the art.
Shot in black & white within a natural landscape, water has a shape, moves within this lineage. With bodies and landscape intertwining, the ephemerality of movement is contrasted by the seemingly permanent marks made by skaters in motion. The film plane seems hyper-focused on the moments within these moments, being composed by and re-composing them.
In addition to setting and skaters, the world of the film has a third participant — the musicians. They’ll create music borne of collaboration and improvisation, inspired by the movements of the dancers in rehearsals and choreography sessions. Their creative process and collaboration is captured within the same filmic language as the skaters. As in many popular forms of folk dance, the dancers are placed “in conversation” with the players, reacting to and inspiring their movements in sound. In these moments, the film hints at the language of documentary, as we feel the interconnection of the skaters and the musicians formed throughout this experimental artistic weekend.
Our skaters
Samples / Aesthetics
Samples / Aesthetics