About me: Muddled State is a one woman company, consisting of its artistic director/performer Saini Manninen, originally from Finland and currently based in Bristol. Embracing hybrid forms of mixed media, Muddled State seeks an environment that is alive – a space that becomes a sensory experience for the viewer. The company produces work which ranges from devised theatre to installation to time-based and site-specific and often probes notions of otherness, time and place. For collaborators and audiences who value new and experimental work, Muddled State offers a chance to experience and be part of work that challenges and nurtures the connections between art and everyday life. Muddled State is a member of Residence, an artist-led organisation in Bristol making space for artists to create performance, live art and theatre. www.residence.org.uk
Who I'd like to meet: Muddled State is currently working on a new performance entitled The One and Only: The Beautiful Pain. It is a lecture given from the top of a tricycle offering instructions for avoiding feelings of loss and longing for home. A game of hide and seek, the performance is full of unexpected encounters and happy reunions. Recently performed at Mayfest in Bristol, The One and Only... is the third part of a trilogy of works that examine Saini's roots and northern heritage. The first part, entitled 'LUMI', is an autobiography in snow while part 2, 'While the Water Flows between Us', is looking for a connection between the bodies of people, amidst the act of washing. Saini is also working with Tittle-Tattle Theatre on a one-woman show based on The Taming of the Shrew.
Other projects include a performance on human gestures and landscapes with Sylvia Rimat to be presented in Aberystwyth in June; and a durational performance on facial expressions with Stephen Robins.
