Women's Writing for Performance

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2006

Marisa Carnesky

"Carnesky's Ghost Train"

ABSTRACT

Marisa Carnesky will reference her recent project "Carnesky's Ghost Train" to explore the representation of women migrants as other and outsider in the media and arts. She will use examples from the press, TV, printed media and footage of the "Ghost Train" project. She will outline the differences between representations and histories of female migrants in comparison to male migrants. She will explore the images of women as victims of sex trafficking, migrant women in the sex industry, women as illegal workers, women as protestors and women as mourners. She will explain the thinking behind the characters and installations created for the "Ghost Train." She will explore how the use of horror effects, magic illusions, scenery that referenced border crossings and stylized use of costume and choreography examined the monstrous feminine within migration stories. She will discuss why she chose to present this in a format that was accessible to audiences as both an art experience and as a popular culture fairground ride. She will talk about the companies' experiences over the last two years of touring the work.

BIOGRAPHY

Marisa Carnesky has been making inter-disciplinary performance work for over a decade. Her work explores notions of cultural identity, sexuality and gender. Her recent work, Carnesky's Ghost Train , is an authentic touring ghost train ride. Inside, audiences of 20 at a time move through the ride in real ghost train carriages encountering six live performers and spectacular visual, digital media and magic effects. Inspired by her own Eastern European heritage and an interest in live performance in the fairground, Carneskys Ghost Train is the largest work by the company. Marisa Carnesky also tours her two current solo works, Jewess Tattooess and The Girl From Nowhere , and is currently developing a new duet theatre show for late 2006.

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		INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2006 Marisa Carnesky "Carnesky's Ghost Train"
	ABSTRACT	Marisa Carnesky will reference her recent project "Carnesky's Ghost Train" to explore the representation of women migrants as other and outsider in the media and arts. She will use examples from the press, TV, printed media and footage of the "Ghost Train" project. She will outline the differences between representations and histories of female migrants in comparison to male migrants. She will explore the images of women as victims of sex trafficking, migrant women in the sex industry, women as illegal workers, women as protestors and women as mourners. She will explain the thinking behind the characters and installations created for the "Ghost Train." She will explore how the use of horror effects, magic illusions, scenery that referenced border crossings and stylized use of costume and choreography examined the monstrous feminine within migration stories. She will discuss why she chose to present this in a format that was accessible to audiences as both an art experience and as a popular culture fairground ride. She will talk about the companies' experiences over the last two years of touring the work.
	BIOGRAPHY	Marisa Carnesky has been making inter-disciplinary performance work for over a decade. Her work explores notions of cultural identity, sexuality and gender. Her recent work, Carnesky's Ghost Train , is an authentic touring ghost train ride. Inside, audiences of 20 at a time move through the ride in real ghost train carriages encountering six live performers and spectacular visual, digital media and magic effects. Inspired by her own Eastern European heritage and an interest in live performance in the fairground, Carneskys Ghost Train is the largest work by the company. Marisa Carnesky also tours her two current solo works, Jewess Tattooess and The Girl From Nowhere , and is currently developing a new duet theatre show for late 2006.
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