palimpsest – a year-long experiment by Rosie Middleton
palimpsest (noun)
- a manuscript or piece of writing material on which two or more successive texts have been written, each being erased to make room for the next.
- something reused or altered, but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form.
palimpsest is an iterative year-long work for voice, recordings, and other improvisers, exploring the transformation of memory over time. It examines how our memories are distorted by new experiences, others’ narratives, and changing environments, layering performers, audiences and spaces.
The process begins with a solo performance (voice and gesture), recorded in sound and film. These recordings are replayed in subsequent performances with additional improvisers, each adding a layer that gradually distorts the original material, creating a shifting collage of “memories.”
In an increasingly polarised world, palimpsest explores loneliness, connection and intimacy.