ActionHero

About ActionHero

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far ActionHero has created 11 blog entries.
25 Jul, 2012

Stranger in a Strange Land

2016-04-07T01:32:33-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|Tags: , , , |

When James was 9 he wrote a song about his 57 Chevy, cruisin’ down the freeway. I’m not sure exactly how this is relevant to our upcoming workshop residency at CounterPULSE, but somehow it gets right to the heart of it. A child, living in England and never having travelled outside of the UK, decides to write a song. What comes out is a first person description of an experience that is alien to the culture that he lives in,

8 Aug, 2012

Gentle Ben

2016-04-07T01:32:18-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|

The first time I came to California I told my best friend where I was going and he said “careful Stenhouse, it’s a different country”. I’d always thought of America as a lie I had been told as a child that I’d since disbelieved. Like Santa Claus. As a kid I loved the TV Show Gentle Ben. I also loved those strange 70’s and 80’s movies where cars and/or trucks and/or motorbikes drive fast and run each other off the

12 Aug, 2012

Notes from day 1 and 2

2016-04-07T01:32:04-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|

So we've done 2 days together. 10 hours in total. On day one we talked, a lot. We spoke about America, how we felt about it, what it was, where it was, what other people thought it was. Here's some notes we made:   Then we made a list of tasks we might do over the coming days- ideas for actions, places to visit, things to write, conversations to have   We talked about bringing daily gifts to the group;

13 Aug, 2012

Oakland Raiders 0 Dallas Cowboys 3

2016-04-07T01:31:34-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero|

Today we tailgated at an NFL football game. For those of you reading this in England, tailgating is hanging out in the carpark (parking lot) of the football stadium before the game and eating food next to your car/truck. This is us tailgating out the back of Andrea's truck:     Before we left we made some American food at Elizabeth's house. Including potato salad, hash browns and a cake with a U.S flag on it. I'll post up some

14 Aug, 2012

Strangeness, cultural exchange and cultural identity

2016-04-07T01:31:27-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero|

Today is our fourth day together as 8 collaborators and after yesterday's NFL experience it feels like we're really starting to unpick and unravel the complexities of our notion of 'Stranger in a Strange Land'. The notion of America as a story and Americans as storytellers keeps returning and ownership over that story is what seems to be niggling us most. Constructing fictions and conducting life through role-play is perhaps not unnatural, perhaps its even a necessity and the U.S.A's

16 Aug, 2012

Karaoke

2016-04-07T01:30:52-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|

Yesterday evening we went to a karaoke bar with the intention of each of us performing 'Stand By Me' by Tammy Wynette. When we got there however we changed our minds and staged our own individual interventions into the Karaoke format. These included: Andrea singing Bruce Springsteen Richie singing a song about a car whilst running non-stop throughout All the women in the group singing 'Stand By Me' by Tammy Wynette Laura and Elizabeth playing inflatable electric guitars for someone

21 Aug, 2012

a slice of ‘on the road’ please

2016-04-07T01:30:11-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|

Gemma and I are back from our American roadtrip. Well actually we got back yesterday but having arrived late in the evening after 12 hours driving we stopped in 'The Pizza Joint' in San Francisco and ordered a slice of 'on the road' pizza (that's actually what it was called). Whilst eating our slice someone stole my wallet. So I've spent all today on the phone trying to sort myself out instead of working on this project. But despite having

22 Aug, 2012

Boot Scootin’ Boogie

2016-04-07T01:30:04-07:00By |Categories: Action Hero, CounterPULSE|

(blog by Laura) Hey Y'all!!!! I’m learnin’ the Boot Scootin' Boogie on my computer. I knew this dance once. I mean, I’m pretty sure I did. but i aint done it in a coon's age. Thankfully this lady on the computer made herself a youtube video. She made sure to wear a cowboy hat, high-heeled boots, and tight-as-hell, flared Levi's. She says, “People in the country call this a ‘Hitch Kick.’" But Lady, I can think of three other dance forms that

5 Sep, 2012

California Dreaming

2012-09-05T06:05:50-07:00By |Categories: CounterPULSE|

Here is the performance to camera work we made. They were both shot with Gemma's stills camera and we hope to develop these ideas into something else perhaps with a better camera and a bigger road trip. Gemma was attempting to 'become America(n)' by placing herself within an American landscape rather than in front of it, we were interested in the frame that is exclusive and what that means. We like the way the sound on the video sometimes infiltrates

Go to Top