AllyCocoa's photostream

Hi there,

(side note: I am living in Australia until further notice)

Until I figure out how to do Web Design and give in to paying for a domain, here's a bit of a portfolio for my work. If you wish to use one of my photos, please ask my permission first and note who snapped it (I'll say yes).

I currently live in Vancouver, BC and am completing my final semester at Simon Fraser University for Theatre Performance, Production, and Design while freelancing for SFU Contemporary Arts and the Pacific Theatre. This semester is brings me a very exciting opportunity to assist Mariko Heidelk in costume design for Ned Dickens' seven-play cycle about the ancient city of Thebes - City of Wine - scheduled to tour to Toronto in May 2009. For more info, see links at the bottom of the page.

My ideal environment to create art in its many forms is through ensemble work (two, three, seventeen heads are better than one) where trust, comradeship, and equality is felt between all the individuals involved. I crave art that isn't exactly satisfying at first glance.. but pieces and performances that are puzzling and somewhat unsound. I'd much rather create something that left the audience questioning it's purpose ('intent' might be a better word here), than something that is set up to simply please you; to borrow the saying, "creating art for art's sake".

My best ideas come about when creative juices are flowing and cooking, through the sparks of imagination fueled by others, placing new twists and turns, picking up on the ideas and themes that are crackling in the air all around us, and turning it into something beautiful (perfect example of two heads are better than one, yes?). I'm humbly striving to find an aesthetic that's intuitive, emotionally striking, seemingly unprovoked in its generosity, but showing craftsmanship and careful detail.

The most meticulous part of my process, I'll admit, is the editing, touching-up, and cropping. I'm thinking about posting 'before and after' photos so it's evident how much work goes into photo correction (I bow down to Photoshop). I think the best photographs are those which capture souls and leave much to the imagination.

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TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

Photography and Graphic Design:
Stage Photography, Commissioned Photoshoots (headshots / fashion / portraits), Design for Publications, the occasional Design for Web, whatever I happen to think is pretty, playing with framing and light somewhat obsessively...

Theatre:
-(production) Fine and Performing Arts Degree (SFU) in Theatre Production & Design: experience in Stage Management, Production Management, Lighting Design, Costume Design, Set Design, Carpentry, Publications.
-(performance) Post-bachelor diploma in Theatre Performance (SFU), performing in the student written and performed "Black Box" in 2007, "little vanishing acts" as part of SFU's directing projects (Directed by Frances Worster), Green Leaf Circus' "The Absurdyssey", and currently taking entry level circus arts at CirKids (tumbling, acrobatics, trampoline, handstand, main a main).

FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS:

Companies and Festivals I've worked with:
Green Leaf Circus : The Absurdyssey 2007
Avatar Circus : upcoming in Feb - Mar 2009
Leaky Heaven Circus : Salome, Giant Consortium 2006, Bone In Her Teeth 2008
Craning Neck Theatre : kut 2005-2006, The Dark Between 2008, Ethics and Aesthetics 2008
Crimson Curtain Productions : Cabaret Inferno 2006
Only Animal Theatre : YOU as part of HIVE2 2008
Turning Point Ensemble : The Soldier's Tale 2006
Stilettos & Strap-Ons Burlesque : The Good, The Bad, and the Femme 2006, Sugar and Spikes 2007
Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret : The Listening Jar upcoming in March 2009
Both Sides Of The Coin : Cirque du Cafe 2005, promo video filming 2006
MythMaker : Okanagan Wine Festival at Nk'mip Cellars 2008
Vancouver Fringe Festival : Risk Everything 2005, The Letters, Opening Gala 2006, The Absurdyssey, Opening Gala 2007
Vancouver Folk Music Festival : Giant Consortium 2006
Magnetic North (with HIVE2) : with Leaky Heaven Circus and Only Animal Theatre 2008
BliNk : with Leaky Heaven Circus 2007

Links:
www.craningneck.org : Craning Neck Theatre
www.leakyheaven.com : The Leaky Heaven Circus
www.mythmaker.ca : MythMaker
www.dustyflowerpot.org : Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret
www.firstfocus.com : David Lai of First Focus Photography
www.lithiumpicnic.com : Philip Warner of Lithium Picnic Studio
www.cirkids.net : CirKids Circus Classes
www.sfu.ca/sca : Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts
cityofwine.wordpress.com : Ned Dickens' City of Wine seven-play cycle
www.soniccanvasdesign.com : David Mesiha of Sonic Canvas Design
www.the49thparallel.com : Chris Walts and Mike Doyle's bi-weekly podcast

For an organized view of my photos, click here: flickr.com/photos/allycocoa/sets/
(not a fan of the 'photostream' view)

Thank you for taking a look at my work. Feel free to contact me at "allycol [at] gmail.com" if you'd like to talk to me about projects or productions. Cheers,

~ally