Workers’ playtime, London, 10 April 2018

This corporate booking was unforgettable even before it began. City Academy made the arrangements; they asked me to arrive half an hour early, emailed me a reminder three days before, phoned me the day before, and then phoned and emailed with just twenty minutes to go. I suspect this high level of attention was due to some previous model having failed to show up or give notice. They need not have worried, though.

We started with five 1-minute poses…

…followed by five 2-minute poses…

…and continued with five 5-minutes poses….

…leaving time for just a single 10-minute pose to end the first half.

It’s fortunate that the opportunity to create many quick poses is always quite inspiring for me as the pose space itself offered little sensory stimulation. The large silent room was without any source of natural light; there was no music, no chatter, no countdown of time, no temperature fluctuations or uneven flooring, just a phone beep that signified when it was time to change pose, plus the diligent scratchings of half a dozen artists.

After a break that lasted slightly longer than expected, we had time for two 20-minute poses that would complete the session. First I sat side-saddle on the floor and tipped back on my hands, numbing my left arm in the process. Finally I stood with one hand on my neck and the other (numb) hand on my hip. There were smiles at the end, and hopefully everyone was happy. Certainly I was… even in such a curious environment.