Chance, History, Art

I worked with John McKeon, violinist, poet, playwright, novelist and painter, on several works, trying to untangle where our very different sensibilities crossed over in order to forge a production that could confront and accommodate both especially in the areas of feminism and eroticism, desire and violence.

One collaborative work McCracken is Flying South went to the Edinburgh Festival, Soho Theatre and The Kitchen in New York, as well as featuring in James Scott’s documentary Chance, History, Art. It was described by The Observer as “an idiosyncratic melange including cartoons, theatre, Bach and dead-pan James Bond debunking. “

We included a range of music, from pieces written ourselves using a variety of instruments to Schoenberg’s Moon-drunk (Pierrot Lunaire) violin/piano/voice and Bach’s violin/piano duet Arioso.

”Often brilliant expressionistic staging and lighting… Likely to appeal only to the most adventurous of tastes.”
The Scotsman


“One of only two shows at the Edinburgh Festival that broke new ground and experimented with theatrical idioms.”

Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4



“Deviancy and culture is the theme of James Scott’s short film Chance, History, Art… the artists are presented as working within non-conformist contexts. In Anne Bean and John McKeon’s case it is using performance as a random, protean, art-as-life way… The film… reaches parts of the body that other strong medicines can’t.”

Artscribe



“More provocative than your average art-documentary and pioneering in its use of video and film ‘Chance, History, Art’ features video-taped interviews with 5 contemporary artists.”

The Observer 



“Originally a film about Surrealism… Anne Bean; “Every day I would probably describe myself differently”. Bean says she’s interested in “randomity and keeping thing moving… changing performances rather than repeating something just because it happened to work once.” Scott’s six chosen subjects merit some attention as unique individuals dedicated to their art, in whatever form it takes.”

‘Things of the inside and outside, together form in us a ‘familiar chaos’ which is nevertheless monstrously alien.”
Paul Valéry
 All Movie Guide