I am Gail Sneddon, an award-winning artist and choreographer based in Moray.
As a dyslexic artist, performance-making is my way of communicating and connecting with other people. I create large-scale, collaborative, site-responsive performances and video works that amplify the voices of the communities I engage with, placing them at the core of my creative process. Together, we build immersive worlds where dystopia, escapism and wonder collide. My work is often described as otherworldly, magical, sensorial and mythic. The work I make has often been in response to vast outdoor landscapes—rural, industrial and urban sites.
My creative practice is informed by my long-term contemporary dance and walking practices which allow me to explore and discover specific territories- their geography and ecology, light and sound - pursuing the experience of having body and mind become more fully aware of the places they occupy. Walking is how I ‘work things out’, imagining the body situated in thelandscapes of the worlds we are making. It also allows me to find the route audiences take through the work, as well as spend time observing sound.
Often a starting point, sound serves as a transformative catalyst - initiating a creative journey extending beyond the visual realm. Exploring sound realms are a doorway to accessing the essence of a new world in conjunction with the visual elements. I like to explore the potential of how the shape of the sound will impact the audience's experience, offering multi-dimensionalencounters that transcend the boundaries of sight alone.
My work delves into the complexities of human experiences, often focusing on current social and political themes. I aim to develop authentic, collaborative processes. Through conversation, improvisation and questioning, we build a world for the work via sensory exploration. This process leads to establishing the rules of the world - how it governs itself, how we exist within it and how it shapes our existence. The choreography evolves out of this questioning and finding of intention. Sometimes this might be a comment on a site, or an ambition for audience experience. Narratives and specific images develop, along with movement vocabularies, energetic qualities and journeys for each of the dancers.
The work is shaped by the perspective of the participants, with safety and autonomy being important to how we work together. I don't treat working with community groups differently to working with professional artists. They are never asked to shorten expectations of themselves, our process is challenging, we build a strong team, passing on new skills and possibilities for ways of being and communicating. I facilitate participants in developing physicality beyond technical accomplishment. I encourage risk taking within a safe container, empowering them through their physicality and the development of their imagination.
When working with young people, I strive to create a caring and supportive space that prioritises what matters to them, particularly for those facing inequality. Art becomes our protest, and dance serves as a powerful platform for each participant's poetic self-expression.I have discovered immense joy and fulfilment in embracing this philosophy as the heart of my practice. It has opened up opportunities for me and the people I work with to explore and reimagine the world through rich sensory languages. Together, we create spaces that celebrate authenticity, freeing us from the constraints of words and societal expectations, and allowing us to fully embrace who we are It’s my way of giving something positive back.
With collective effort, beautiful things can become a reality.