Katie Duck and Sharon Smith
Katie Duck (currently in her 70s) and Sharon Smith (in her 50s), are two experienced artists who have worked and played together for over twenty years. They explore performative explorations , combining improvisation, sound, punk aesthetics, and feminist expression to disrupt conventional ideas of identity and age, with a dynamic and theatrical style that challenges norms. .They attempt to get off, shake off, and escape” the rigid constructs that define and police them. They are female. They are women behaving inappropriately especially for their age and stature. They have shared a friendship that has grown into family feelings.
Katie Duck
Katie Duck is a renowned multidisciplinary artist, performer, teacher and pioneer with a career spanning several decades. Originally from the United States, she has lived in Italy, England and is now based Netherlands. Duck is celebrated for her innovative multidisciplinary approach to performance art, blending dance, theater, music, and text in her work.
Duck uses a microscopic view of improvisation as both a creative tool and a performance strategy. Her work often blurs the line between composition and spontaneity, challenging traditional notions of performance by incorporating elements of sound, voice, movement, and visual design into her practice. Her performances are often characterised by their spontaneity and interaction with the audience, as well as their exploration of themes such as vulnerability, identity, and the human experience.
A key figure in experimental performance, Katie Duck’s contributions have significantly influenced contemporary processes towards real time performances. She has collaborated with musicians, dancers, and visual artists throughout her career, with performances that are often described as dynamic, raw, and deeply engaging.
Sharon Smith
Sharon Smith’s work often explores the intersections of liveness, politics, the body, and identity, frequently incorporating elements of humour, improvisation, and experimental performance.
She is known for breaking the fourth wall, engaging with audiences directly, and questioning traditional theatre structures.
She is a member of the acclaimed Berlin based performance collective Gob Squad, who have, over 30 years produced numerous internationally touring pieces that blur the lines between reality and fiction, performance and life.
She holds a practice-based PhD in performance (Nottingham Trent University), where her research focused on themes such as liveness, feminist performance, and collaborative practice.
Sharon Smith presently runs a pub in Devon
