Associate Artist 2018/19 |  Craig Manson

Platform is delighted to host Craig over the year ahead as he continues to work a new collaborative performance. In 2016, Craig graduated with a first class honours degree in Contemporary Performance Practice from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Since graduating, Craig has created performances for venues around the UK and for club and cabaret events. We caught up with him to find out more about his work and his relationship with Platform.

What is your favourite performance or event you have attended at Platform?

I’ve been to a lot at Platform but I think my two favourite, because I can’t pick one, are Old Boy by Glas(s) Performance and Wild Life by Sarah Hopfinger and Catherine Wheels. Those have really stuck with me.

What is it you enjoy about working with Platform?

I like having the development of my work take place in a multi-purpose venue that isn’t just dedicated to contemporary performance. Matt and the rest of the artistic team are so supportive and it feels like they want to put artists at the forefront of all decisions, which is such a refreshing and welcoming way to work. It’s also nice gradually getting to know the local people working in and around the building the more I spend time there.

My favourite rehearsal space is definitely The Unit – it’s got such a grungy, industrial look to it that I love!

Can you tell us a little bit more about your practice?

I’m a live artist making performance for festivals, clubs and studio theatres. My work explores the constructs of gay male identity and its relationship to space, other people and the LGBTQIA+ community in general. I’m interested how, as a performance making practice, this parallels the ways that cis gay men are problematically placed at the forefront of visibility for the LGBTQIA+ movement whilst still being oppressed, objectified and fetishized by heterosexual culture.

Though my performance work situates itself within broad or serious discourses, I always like to make my work funny, weird and irreverent – I find that in-between space very exciting!

Who or what are you inspired by?

As well as seeing performance, I’m inspired by the relationships and conversations I have with my close friends who are also artists that I collaborate with. For example, my friend Theo Seddon makes amazing and hilarious work about being Trans Male/Masculine and our collaborations have always been a source of creativity and a lot of laughs, which I think is important for any process! Former Platform Associate Artist, Katy Dye, is someone I collaborate with a lot and I’m always inspired by her work ethic and the way she can excavate a performance to its deepest point over long periods of time.

Apart from close friends, I find a lot of inspiration from more provocative artists like Ann Liv Young, Tracey Emin & Scottee – I admire how they know themselves and the conviction they have to make work that is uncompromising.

What are you currently working on at Platform?

I’ve been developing a new performance work called GAYBOYS in collaboration with artist Conner Milliken. We’ve been working on it for just over a year and now Platform have kindly come on board to provide support to develop it into a full-length show. I can’t wait for everyone to see it!

Links

https://www.craig-manson.com/

Image Credit: Sean Campbell