The Middle Room

"…a playful and strange odyssey that retunes the mind to the most subliminal and easily overlooked aspects of human intimacy… cleverly conceived to transform you from passive spectator into willing collaborator." Cameron Woodhead, The Age

On this day, at this time, in this place, it will be just you and I. We will be ordinary and not.

In an elemental and ceremonial progression of action and activity, Nat Cursio offers you some time in The Middle Room. It is an invitation to notice, to slow down, to forget logic. It is a simple rendering of body, light, sound, shape, play and connection - both an escape from and a return to the world in which you and I live. 

The actual 'middle room' is the entrance to the flat in which Cursio has lived for 13 years. The Middle Room has been created through a process of performance with all kinds of people who, by coming to her home to participate, have contributed to the incremental shifts the work has undergone since inception.

With a gentle emphasis on sensory reception, of peeling away excess, and on the focusing of attention, Nat is attempting to create a situation in which we can notice ourselves and each other in a way that is not always prominent in daily life. Nat is interested in creating a situation where we allow quietness, observe small things, lose our attachment to logic and savour the moment. 

The Middle Room is strictly for 1 visitor at a time. 

Creator and performer: Nat Cursio

A series of images is exhibited online, as a mini tribute to the participants and the little moments built 

https://florafox.com/ru/bryansk-59

The Middle Room had its first official presentation through the inaugural Festival of Live Art (FOLA) as part of the Theatre Works program. 

17 - 28 March  2014

"...subtle altering of space and sensory perception is what makes this work so clever and intriguing, altering how we see and feel with a minimal amount of fuss…I leave this performance in altered state." 
Gracia Haby, Fjord Review

Read interview with Nat Cursio (with Penelope Ford) on Fjord Review

Read review of The Middle Room - The Age (Cameron Woodhead)

Read review of The Middle Room - Fjord Review (Gracia Haby)

The Middle Room had its first phase of development in December 2012 as a commission for Theatre Works' ENCOUNTER(S) initiative.

The 2nd phase of development for The Middle Room, 2013, was enabled with the support of the City of Port Phillip's Cultural Development fund.

This project is also supported by Insite Arts 

Nat gratefully acknowledges the contributions of participants of the development phase: Adrian Howells, Sally Apitz, Fiona Bryant, Dan Koop, Daniel Clarke, Josephine Ridge, Katerina Kokkinos Kennedy, Susan Strano, Melanie Jame Wolf, Pete Brundle, Dianne Reid, Jane Touzeau, Ely Elsass, Russell Field, Sharon Lacy, Fay Reid, Rose Connors Dance, Philipa Rothfield, Cressida Bradley, William McBride, Nicole Joseph, Alice Dixon, Michael Magazanik, Natasha L'Aimable, Emma Hamilton, Daniela Miotto, Rachel Roberts, Lindesay Dresdon. 

Festival of Live Art website

Festival of Live Art Facebook page