Bio

Peter Redgrave is a cultural worker, an artist, and educator, based in Baltimore, Maryland. A multivalent performer, his work oscillates between improvisation and score-based pieces, solo practice and collaboration, jest and critique. Redgrave has performed with Mother Country Death Rattle, Smelling Salt Amusements, Breath of the Magi, and Move Move Collaborative among others.

Redgrave worked with zines and artist’s books under the mentorship of Sally Alatalo at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating with a BFA in 1993. He went on to work in manufacturing briefly, before moving abroad in 1999. Peter began performing in musical acts in the Chicago area. He was a founding member of a punk rock marching band, Mother Country Death Rattle and a multi-disciplinary art duo, The Smelling Salt Amusements.

In 2000, Redgrave began working in education, initially as an English instructor in Bu Shi Ban in Taiwan and then an early childhood language teacher in Germany. While living in Taiwan, Redgrave studied double reed music with Liu Chiang-Pin. This exposure to a completely different way of conceptualizing music got Redgrave thinking about scores, interpretation, and cultural pedagogy. Exploring culture and learning as both tools and conditions, remains a significant part of Redgrave’s work. In 2008 Redgrave returned to the US to complete a Masters of Education at the University of Maryland. Since then, he has centered his teaching work in Baltimore, MD. He has worked with age groups from kindergarten to active mature adults.

After a skateboarding injury in 2009, Peter began taking dance classes with the Effervescent Collective. By 2012, he was performing in the dance community in Baltimore. Experiencing ways of thinking with the body about history, mathematics, and the human capacity to feel the presence of other people invigorated Redgrave. He began to seek out workshops in everything from Noguchi Taiso to Contact Improv to puppetry to Pochinko clowning.

In response to taking performance workshops, Redgrave founded The Move Move Collaborative in 2017. Part movement skill share, part performance building intensive, part least hierarchical pedagogy experiment, and part score based performance festival; Move Move is an evolving space dedicated to communication across difference and performance as a tool for cultural production.

In his solo pieces, Redgrave reflects on his teaching career, the history of performance, and the shape of vulnerability. He plays music, moves, and animates objects along the way.

Artist Statement

The world of the imagination is not a separate world, it is woven through our bodies and draws us into the possibilities each moment offers. My work begins with the body and seeks to nourish embodied wonder with absurd potentials. I aspire to be the clown, the fool, the bumbler who speaks in riddles at the feet of authority. I work to facilitate experiences for people through performances, recordings, videos, and text based work that refract our complicated contaminated world. May we find wonder and humor in the patterns that arise.

The heart of my research is the energetic exchange between audience and performer. Yet, in a global pandemic, how do we signify performer? The resonance of nervous systems drives me to create events where sensation, thinking, and empathy intertwine to re-shape people’s perspectives. In the face of a climate emergency and the great reckoning with global capitalism’s desire for complete control of life, we are offered little room to make meaningful choices. And yet we go on. Let us fill our bodies with visions of adaptation and resilience that persevere as we are marked.

Project timeline

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks at Rhizome DC (September 24, 2023)

Pre-Zero Party - Baltimore, MD (September 15, 2023) ::: Celebrating 25 years of High Zero. One of a set of local High Zero Alum invited to play.

Mind on Fire Presents En Route - Baltimore, MD (September 10, 2023) ::: Moved with Orlando Johnson to a string trio led by Erin Snecedor.

Move Move Collaborative - (June 2023) ::: the seventh gathering - ten people shared methods and modes of score building and thinking with performance. Shared with an audience at 2640 Space here in Baltimore.

Exercise in Entertainment Vol 3 - (May and October 2023) - performed an excerpt of a work in progress at Black Cherry Puppet Theater’s Puppet Slamwich and in Los Angeles

PROP 6 at SCORE an exhibit curated by but, also; Washington DC (May 2023) ::: performed with Orlando Johnson.

PROP 1 & 2 part of the Waverly Book Festival, Baltimore MD (April 2023) ::: performed the solo piece and the group book dance.

Move Move Collaborative - Participant in the Archival Silent Noise Conference Towson, MD (April 2023) ::: shared a score that we developed based on the previous year and adapted to tell our story.

Groundswell Spell by Valeska Populoh Asheville, NC, Atlanta, GA & Baltimore (April and September 2023) ::: puppeteered and toured an overhead projector piece.

Breath of the Magi - Baltimore, MD & Washington DC (January, April, and June 2023) - improvised music with Orlando Johnson and Che Davis

Move Move Collaborative HOT MESS! hybrid Chicago, IL (November 2022) ::: Move Move brought the Score we had created at the retreat to the Hot Mess hybrid virtual format.

Freedom From Freedom To - Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL (November 2022) ::: Participant in improvised music and dance concert.

When Will It End (Reboot) directed by Isa Leal (October 2022) ::: acted in the lead role of modern classic adapted using tuning scores.

Move Move Collaborative - hosted the sixth gathering - a retreat at Gray’s Manor Farm, MD (June 2022)

Move Move Collaborative - shared Recommit video from at the New Works series at 2640 in Baltimore, MD (May 2022)

Life Dance (You Give Me Breath) by Matt Williams Towson, MD (October 2021) ::: Contributed to the creation and performance of a joyful celebration to close an academic experience.

Freedom From Freedom To Elastic Arts, Chicago, IL ( August & December 2021) ::: Participant in improvised music and dance concert.

Spontaneous Combustion #12 - Brooklyn, NY (July 2021) ::: Rooftop Improvised dance series curated by Sarah Chien. Contributed an improvised solo with movement and cornet playing.

Chuck Bettis and Daphne Napthali and me as Guest artist - Brooklyn, NY (July 2021) WHITEBOX

Move Move Collaborative - hosted the fifth gathering - a retreat at Gray’s Manor Farm, MD (June 2021)

Gray’s Manor Players - released Volume One, a digital album to benefit Gray’s Manor Farm. Released March 3rd, 2021 ::: Recorded and created with Orlando Johnson. Including Jamal Moore and Jake Freeman. Volume One documents improvisations recorded in 2020 at Gray’s Manor Farm in Calvert County, Maryland.

Natural Score (December 2020) ::: A book conceived as a meditation on the body in relationship with parks. Poems and scores are combined with photographs of trail blazes. Printed on archival rag paper with rubber stamp title.

Move Move Collaborative - Halloquium edition (November 1, 2020) & Temporary Ensemble online Performance (June 20th, 2020) ::: The fourth gathering . Online collaborative work to develop performance for the digital realm. The June performance was developed over eight days with Nicole Bindler, Tanya Garcia, Holly Herzfeld, Clara Jeanotte, Orlando Johnson, Jessica Keyes, Marisa LaGuardia, Carole McCurdy, Peter Redgrave, Elliot Reed, Cristal Sabbagh, Maggie Schneider, Imani Shabazz, slowdanger, Maya Sifu Sun, Safra Tadesse, Matt Williams, and Emmett Wilson. Sixteen people performed live across four time zones for the final performance.

The Halloquium was a smaller group - Nicole Bindler, Carole McCurdy, Kate O’Brien, Peter Redgrave, Cristal Sabbagh, slowdanger, Matt Williams, and Emmett Wilson. We created an edited video out of three different dancing sessions.

Duet with Pidgeon and Shadow - a commission by Mind on Fire :::(aired as part of the Mind on Fire Virtual Variety Show with the Enoch Pratt Free Library on July 11th, 2020) ::: A dance with the Sun and a building. A dance with time and a camera. A dance in public viewed in people’s homes privately. Video Link

An Exercise in Entertainment - Volume 1 (February 26th, 2020 - a feedback showing at the Red Room, Baltimore MD.) ::: A solo performance for movement artist and audience. The piece shares research on the impact of Vaudeville on the American psyche.

Watching The Witness Observe - Celeste Neuhaus and Peter Redgrave (February 7, 2020) at the Center for PostNatural History in Pittsburgh, PA ::: A performance developed with Celeste Neuhaus that centers communal research into developing our capacity to not look away from the relationships between humans and the living world.

Under the Counter Culture curated by tactile BOSCH - (November 1, 2019) Cardiff, Wales, UK. ::: Participated in the opening night of a feast of performance with 60 artists and 20 performers. A celebration of the inclusive exploratory world of club culture.

The PROP series (November, September & February 2019, December 2018) : Baltimore, MD; Ann Arbor, MI; Amsterdam, NL; Oakland, CA, & Saskatoon, SK, Canada. ::: Books that are dances that are books. There are currently 6 in the series. Videos -  #2 #6

The Future is Now and I am It, A Parade to Mark the Moment curated by Carrie Mae Weems. The Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. (September 2019) ::: Performed with in an ensemble piece by Hoesy Corona.

Crabs in a Basket - Orlando Johnson and Peter Redgrave - Baltimore, MD (July 2019 ) ::: Orlando Johnson and Peter Redgrave present a raw exploration of where history lives in their bodies. Teasers #2 #3

Move Move Collaborative - (performances on June 23rd and 24th, 2019 ) ::: The third gathering - people came from across North America and Europe come to work with Baltimore based dancers and artists to create a movement performance. All creative decisions are made using consensus-based decision making. 2019 was our third gathering. The score for this performance was developed by Andrea Carrion, Clara Jeanotte, Orlando Johnson, Talbolt Johnson, Elise Knudson, Kate O'Brien, Peter Redgrave, Maggie Schneider, Cristal Sabbagh, Ashley Shey, Laura Stokes and Matt Williams. Musicians: Kamyar Asani (DC show), Tom Boram, April Camlin (Baltimore show), Aquiles Holladay (DC Show), Bonnie Lander, Jamal Moore, and Bashi Rose.

The Audition (work-in-progress showings January, May, and June 2019) : St. Louis, MO; Baltimore, MD; Los Angeles, CA; and Queens, NY ::: An examination of the history of the entertainment industry. Video excerpt or full

The Education of Icarus  (touring performance 2018 and 2019) Washington D.C.; Athens, GA; Atlanta, GA; New Orleans, LA; Tijuana, MX; Oakland, CA; Eugene, OR; Seattle, WA; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA; and Baltimore, MD ::: An offering to those who dedicate themselves to the ambitions of others. Review

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  - Passing Through (September, March, and February 2019) Baltimore, MD ::: We bisect a space. We bring with us all we need.

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  - The Birthday Piece - (April 2019, March 2018, June 2017, March 2017, March 2016, December 2015) ::: We mark the passage of time by doing the “Chair Bit,” where Redgrave tries to sit on a chair and Weeks tries to pull the chair out from underneath him, one time for every year the birthday person has been on the planet.

H-O-T Improvised Music and Dance series, (April 2019, February & August 2017) Philadelphia, PA ::: An invited artist for a monthly series of improvised performance

High Zero Festival of Improvised Music (September 2018) Baltimore, MD. ::: Participated in free improvised music festival as movement artist. 

Move Move Collaborative - (performance on June 24th, 2018 ) ::: the second gathering - a ten day movement intensive that brings together movement artists from Baltimore and Chicago to create a performance using consensus-based decision making. Movement participants: Erick Benitez (unable to perform), Theresa Columbus, Ariel Foster (unable to perform), Jake Freeman, Orlando Johnson, Peter Redgrave, Domineka Reeves (unable to perform), Cristal Sabbagh, Maggie Schneider. Musicians: Andrew Bernstein, Sarah Hughes, Elizabeth Prince

And&And&And - with Lynne Price (March 10 and 11, 2018) Church on the Square, Baltimore, MD :::  Co-choreographed an evening length piece based on commitment. The score includes active invitations for the audience.

Coat Drop - with Matt Williams -  Annex Theater, Baltimore, MD (November 2017) ::: Co-created a durational score for a performance. Eye contact was maintained between the two performers for the length of the piece.

Alie(N)ation by Hoesy Corona at Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (June 2017) ::: A costumed dancer in a large ensemble piece.

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  - Feet Off the Floor (December 2017, throughout 2016) ::: This bit has been performed numerous times, including at the Peale Museum in Baltimore, MD, at Gelegenheiten in Berlin, Germany, in Salisbury, MD, and at the Spawned Seed Post Butoh Festival in April 2017 in Chicago, IL. It entails crossing a space without touching the floor. It has been performed with tables, chairs, and even ladders.

Move Move Collaborative - (performances on June 30th & July 1st, 2017 at Church on The Square in Baltimore, MD) :::The initial gathering - a ten day movement intensive that brings together movement artists from Baltimore, New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to create a performance using consensus-based decision making. Movement participants: Erick Benitez, Jake Freeman, Kate O’Brien (unable to perform), Lynne Price, Peter Redgrave, Domineka Reeves, Cristal Sabbagh, slowdanger (Anna Thompson + Taylor Knight). Additional workshops with Elise Knudson and Joongwoon Kim. Musicians: Zoë Bell, Chuck Bettis, David Crandall, Bonnie Jones, Nicholas Melmann, Shakia Paylor, and Khristian Weeks

Dream State by Lynne Price - Creative Alliance, Baltimore MD, May 2017 ::: a dancer in the ensemble of Lynne’s work of seasons and dreams and healing.

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  Ups and Downs (January 2017) Premiered at Psychic Readings, Baltimore, MD. ::: A diptych of performances approaching the sisyphean nature of everyday life. Review

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  Serenade to 26th Street (September 2016) Akimbo Festival, Baltimore MD. ::: A site specific piece where two people carried all they needed from one end of the street to the other. It was an homage to freight train travel and human migration.

Additional Artist - Philadelphia Free Form Festival (October 2016)  ::: Applied and was selected to participate in a three day performance festival

From the Liquid ~ Of the Liquid, Fields Fest (August 2016) ::: A two hour solo performance based on the work of Neil Shubin, an evolutionary biologist. This piece was performed twice beginning at 4:00 AM and ending with the dawn chorus. 

Crossing the Frame - Erfurt, Germany (July, 2016) ::: A series of five videos shot at crowdsourced locations and performed in public. - #1, #4, #5,

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks The Agony of Victory (June 2016) ZK/U The Center for Art and Urban Studies in Berlin, Germany. ::: Performed reenactments of victorious moments from a football match and election results.

Peter Redgrave and Khristian Weeks  Homage to Cage and Screen (April 2015) ::: Using separate scores generated using chance means, we created a piece in the manner of John Cage and Merce Cunningham.

Smelling Salt Amusements - a Multi-faceted project co-created with Heather Romney: 

In The Jungle - Set design and construction for a film by Stephanie Barber. Baltimore, MD performed 2015, film released 2017. trailer

Train Trip - Transmodern Festival, Baltimore, MD April 2011

The Pledge - Transmodern Festival, Baltimore, MD April 3rd, 2009

The Overlookeds - Transmodern Festival, Baltimore, MD 2008

The Hair Necklace - at Shattered Wig Night, 14 K Kabaret, Baltimore, MD, 2008

Softy~n~Softy project - (live audio collages) Berlin and Leipzig, Germany 2005-2007

The Simultaniacs - (dualing one person bands) Chicago, IL and Newark, NJ, 1997- 1999