A research project conceived and performed by Zosia Jo.

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Design by Ruth Stringer

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Film by Zosia Jo and Ruth Jones

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Sound design by AcouChristo (Christopher Michael Young)

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Fabulous Animals is a feminist approach to dance and movement, exploring the rewilding of the body and how we can recognise and discard imposed gender movement habits. It is a multi-artform exhibition of film, photography, live performance and an interactive installation.

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As part of our research we spent a week in Felinganol, a woodland studio and retreat in Pembrokeshire. We explored the environmental terrain of several sites, including river, beach, woodland, field and eco-hut. Zosia responded to each site with a performative animal instinct, and we subverted the expectation of the clothing she adorned herself with by turning it inside out, putting it on different parts of the body and wearing it back to front.  I collected locally foraged materials and began exploring how to construct the den - a private space in which an audience member can explore and discover their own Fabulous Animal.

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The den structure was made from a combination of twigs and sticks found in the park near to me and sustainably grown willow from a farm in Somerset - 75 miles distance from our base in Cardiff.  I also used fabric and jewellery leftover from previous projects or sourced from local charity shops.  These materials were hand-woven onto panels made from FSC timber and OSB sheets from a previous project, and tied together with biodegradeable twine. The panels were joined together in situ, and were transported into two car loads - for trips further afield we planned to hire a small van. The den will have an eventual permanent home at Women's Aid in Cardiff.

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More information on booking Fabulous Animals and on Zosia's other work can be found here: www.zosiajo.com/fabulous-animal

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