My goal was to make something to present for the 2013 Leap/Conceive, a series for new work that was in its early development stages, which was perfect for Feefer. When I started, I was by myself in a room with some memories, a plaid skirt from middle school and a pair of scissors. At the time, I didn’t know the significance of the scissors besides that I was drawn to them. They were sleek and dangerous, and this particular pair of scissors looked like they had history – rusty, a bit bent. In my installation work, I am inspired by tactile objects that evoke a feeling so I trusted myself when I was drawn to the scissors. After I had created about 20 minutes of material, I asked Raymond if he would come into a rehearsal to witness the work. I trust, respect and have deep confidence in Raymond as my director and as a devisor of new work. I knew that I needed to share this work with my core artistic collaborator to know what potential was there. Is there a story here? Is this compelling? Is this something that needs to be shared?
When I presented the new work to Raymond, it was a baby, crawling out of the womb with vim and vigor but lacking legs or direction. He got the heart of the piece and then asked if he could make changes to the work. From there, we had a couple rehearsals to piece the material together for Leap/Conceive. It was still very much in its nascent stage but with Raymond’s crafting mind, we could feel that something real was emerging in the work. From there, we decided to dedicate time on it. Thanks to the Creative Workforce Fellowship that I was awarded in 2014, I could really put time and resources into developing the work.In late summer 2015, CPT Composer Fellow Matthew Ryals came onto the project bringing his symphonic artistry. His music both uplifts and grounds the piece. It’s got this rooted feeling while flying at the same time – I love it.
Feefer Rising is a co-authored collaboration. We both brought immense heart, energy and life into the piece and I am deeply grateful to Raymond for bringing his magic, love and artistry to this project.