HISTORY Born London, England 1959. Ian graduated from Brighton Polytechnic in 1981 with a First Class Honours Degree in Expressive Arts (Fine Art/Theatre Practice), Nobody has ever asked to see it. This new course was experimental in combining art forms, and Ian used and abused every available facility to ensure that he was already presenting work professionally in Music, Dance and Performance Art by the time he left. Since Art School he has continually worked in many fields including Performance Art, Dance, Film, Music, TV, Radio, Cabaret, Circus and cross-media work. His main occupation currently is that of artistic director to Mischief La-Bas Performance Company, (founded with wife Angie Dight in 1992). Children Stanley and Lily are being apprenticed in his peculiar trade.

Ian Smith in WASPS Studios amongst his 'Pulptures' 2004.

BRIGHTON & THE EIGHTIES

Brighton, on the south coast of England, is a fun-filled seaside resort that traditionally accommodates artistic, theatrical and eccentric types with ease. Ian stayed here about ten years, and during that time established and developed many of his activities.

An early large scale ‘fantasy mythology’ project was the invention of a fictitious youth cult called MONOLIZM, which ran from 1979 to 1980 and culminated in a multi-media event THE MONOCROWD featuring Monolizt representatives ‘from around the globe’. This quasi-futurist experiment (a reaction to the complacency of the dying punk ethic) actually started to attract genuine devotees, and had to be swiftly disowned as reality blurred with art practice. This manipulation of reality in public spaces has continued to be a founding principle of Ian’s work.

Finding himself in a sea of potential collaborators, Ian joined with Music Lecturer Billy Cowie in forming a band BIRDS WITH EARS and Dance Lecturer Liz Aggiss in forming irreverent Dance Company THE WILD WIGGLERS. Both projects toured extensively and gained TV coverage throughout the early eighties.

BIRDS WITH EARS produced some singles and an album YOUTH IN ASIA (Attrix Records), and when the band folded in the mid-eighties, Ian got a solo recording contract as THE VAGABOND KING and produced an album GOLDEN GRATES (Coldharbour Records).

THE ZAP CLUB

A project that served as a focus for all this activity was THE ZAP CLUB, formed by Neil Butler, whom Ian worked with throughout the eighties. This experimental multi-media performance club gained its own premises on the seafront, and as permanent MC, Ian oversaw and experienced a huge variety of activity over six or seven years. One of his most enduring and valid contributions to the grass-roots encouragement of new talent was his personal weekly hosting of a PERFORMANCE PLATFORM which ran for about four years and had no lower limits of quality control, only encouragement.

In keeping with his fondness for irreverence, Ian also meddled with the Fine Art world by inventing PULPTURES (like sculptures but not as good). These assemblages often featured plastic model kits and had a pricing structure based on a plumber’s bill, with materials, labour and concept all itemised. The cheapness and honesty of this approach meant that Ian’s exhibitions (often featuring a brass band) usually sold out in about thirty minutes, much to the chagrin of the established art crowd. An exhibition at Wolverhampton Civic Art Gallery led to them buying a piece ‘Naff Crystal Ball’ for their own Modern Art Collection. It cost about twenty quid.

PERFORMANCE ART

Amongst all the other activity, Performance Art continued to be a strong interest, and during the eighties Ian personally represented Britain at International Art Fairs and Festivals in New York, Lisbon, Kassel (Documenta 8) Nuremburg, Frankfurt, as well as on several tours of North America and Holland.

During this period he associated with the international Mail-Art scene and forged a bond with the German NOMADS and Canadian NEOISTS.

Notable was his evangelical solo presentation CANNIBAL! which he toured with Angie, and collaborative work with poet/performer ROGER ELY, often involving marvellously impractical banquet presentations.

The first major collaborative experiment devised by Ian was ‘THE TELL TALE HEART’ featuring the late Kathy Acker (Author), Captain Sensible (Narrator), Peter Sinclair (Mechanical Orchestra), Liz Aggis (Choreographer/Dancer), Roger Ely (Film-maker/Poet), Grand Theatre of Lemmings (Cabaret Theatre), and Holly Warburton (Images. It was devised with Neil Butler as producer and appeared at the Purcell Rooms, South Bank, London. This was the first model of Ian’s commissioning approach to artists, inviting them to collaborate on a theme under his direction.

GLASGOW & THE NINETIES

In 1989, looking for fresh challenges, Ian and partner Angie Dight moved to Glasgow, Scotland. After a fairly tough start, due to the comparatively minimal live art scene, a peculiar opportunity arose for both of them to join the UK crew assisting anarchic French Circus troupe ARCHAOS. Starting as Front of House MC and box office assistant respectively, they developed their roles to include stints as pyrotechnic riggers, performers and for the 1991 season, (after presenting a solo midnight show to the cast and crew) Ian was invited by Pierrot Bidon to assist in the creation and direction of the new show in Ales, France. Ian and Angie then toured with this BX91 production visiting Nuremburg, Koln, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Jerusalem and finally Toronto - where Archaos imploded under financial duress and the company, like pirates, were paid off and set loose.

Back in Glasgow, Ian and Angie found a new spiritual base at THE ARCHES, a subterranean theatre space that would evolve into the multi-media cultural centre that it remains today.

One of the highlights of their early collaborative relationship with The Arches’ Director Andy Arnold, was the devising of ‘METROPOLIS’ - a live multi-media project with 80 performers that used the whole building, another device that Ian would use in subsequent projects.

MISCHIEF LA-BAS

Creating weekly installations in THE ARCHES nightclub setting, MISCHIEF LA-BAS was born in 1992, and after the original eighty or so ‘experimental’ gigs as a duo it has since grown to a ‘walkabout theatre’ company with a pool of over 25 performers presenting 150-200 gigs a year. Most of the work now consists of teams of performers, often multiple characters, going out into public spaces and interacting with the public. The company never rehearses, never auditions or interviews new members, and has managed to grow completely organically over the past twelve years.

During the nineties, Ian maintained his interest in Performance Art and larger-scale projects – often involving the members of Mischief La-Bas in these activities. His historical connection with Brighton led to several invitations for experimentation, notably performance pieces such as ‘The 59er’ and ‘Alchemy’. Amongst others, Andrew Blackwood from the Mischief team featured in these experiments, and their partnership also led to a musical sideline ‘SMITH & BLACKWOOD’ – a ‘sophisticated’ crooning duo featuring vocals and accordion respectively. Together they created and hosted a retro-style club CASINO ROYALE and went on to appear for a full month at the Edinburgh Festival.

A significant link with London was also made with the collaborative Director of THE ALBANY THEATRE Andrew Broadley.

Andrew invited Ian and Mischief La-Bas to create a large-scale event to re-launch his theatre and the resulting FEAST project Included artists Lene Lovich, The Human Jukebox (Nederlands) The Topp Twins (Australia), Emergency Exit Arts, The Liberty Morrismen, Concussion Aerialists, Taxi Val Mentek, Regina Fong, DJ’s and local artists.
It was such a success that it was repeated the following year, and Ian was commissioned to create another two site-specific pieces for The Albany.

‘BULL!’ was a performance ‘tour’ of the whole theatre building featuring contributions from:Diane Torr (USA), Ken Campbell (England), Anne Seagrave (Ireland), Andre Stitt (Northern Ireland), The Divine David (England), Paul Johnson (Ireland), Graeme Wilcox (Scotland), Jeremy Robins (England) and Mischief La-Bas. The project was subsequently re-devised for the prestigious Tramway venue in Glasgow. ‘BYE BYE BLUES’ was an outdoor dance/performance spectacle featuring collaborations with Morag Wightman (choreographer) and Charles Hayward (composer).

GLASGOW PROJECTS

Noteworthy projects devised by Ian in Glasgow and featuring Mischief La-Bas include a spoof approach to traditional male choreography BULLBALLET (Blokes Dancing Round a Stick) which toured to Brighton and Stockton Festivals, and TOONHOOSE – an orchestrated live cartoon designed for the windows of a City Centre building in Glasgow.

The largest and most expensive project of this period was designed for the eve of the Millennium, and featured a 15-metre flame-belching Space Rocket embedded overnight into the architecture of Glasgow. The all day event featured constant performance from Mischief La-Bas characters as the scenario developed into a full-blown alien encounter. PROJECT X was realised in collaboration with Scott Associates (Sculptors).

MEDIA MANIPULATION

Throughout his career, from the first national coverage of the hoax MONOLIZM cult, Ian has managed to manipulate the media through countless interviews in print, on television and on radio. He even created a fictitious BBC broadcaster persona MONTY CANTSIN (a reference to Neoism) which developed into a character actually employed by the BBC to produce and present dozens of genuine radio transmissions and television programmes, as well as regular magazine columns in several publications. As Monty, Ian is also heavily associated with the London-based anarcho-dandy movement of THE CHAP, for whom he hosts events, and acts as Northern Correspondent.

21st CENTURY

LARGE SCALE PROJECTS

With the PAINFUL CREATURES touring project, many of Ian’s previous experiments and interests melded together, particularly the mixture and crossover of popular culture, Fine Art and traditional theatricality. The international touring project was structured as a startling 'walk through the woods' incorporating the work of a whole host of international artists as well as core members of Mischief La-Bas and local artists from each host city. As ever the work was accessible, public, and free. After a prototype event at 'Big in Falkirk' 2003 the show was backed by European promoters' consortium InSitu and went on to tour Big in Falkirk, Streets of Brighton, Bradford International Festival, Sotteville Les Rouens, La Strada Graz, and Spotlight London festivals in 2004.

MONTAGUE PLACE 

After the anarchic and exhilarating experimentation of 'Painful Creatures' Ian wanted to investigate the audience and performer relationship even further. Whereas in 'Painful Creatures' the audience were free to wander around the improvised action, in 'MONTAGUE PLACE' the whole scenario was tightly restricted by schedule and space. A cartoon scenario of an absurd 'day in the life' was presented by five identical performers on five identical stages with 5 costume changes within the 10 minute routine which was incessantly repeated. The show delighted family audiences, but the exhausting rigmarole of actually building a town, performing the punishing routine, and then breaking it all down, almost killed the company. One tour of Scotland was enough to prove it could be done, just.

CURRENT LARGE-SCALE PROJECT

'BISCH BASCH BOSCH'

After vowing to be wary of biting off more than he can chew, Ian now wishes to create the entire universe of Hieronymus Bosch as a large-scale interactive experience. Supported by The National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway Glasgow, the project will be developed for presentation in 2009, with delusions of possibilities to expand towards the London Olympics of 2012.

PERSONAL PROJECTS

While continuing to run Mischief La-Bas, Ian has consolidated his Performance Art credentials by regularly acting as MC for the NATIONAL REVIEW OF LIVE ART - a role he maintains on an annual basis, whereby he can immerse himself regularly in some 40 or 50 international installations and performances. in 2002 he became an 'Honorary Associate' of the NRLA. In 2003 he presented his own critically acclaimed installation ‘GOOD GRIEF’, collaborating with Digital artist Bevis Evans-Teush and painter Graeme Wilcox, for whom Ian regularly models.

One NRLA installation - 'Medicins sans Frontieres' 2006 resulted from a residency in Sri Lanka where Ian was one of several artists chosen to test out the pilot scheme for a new Creation Centre, funded by the Hikkaduwa Area Relief Fund.

Medicins sans Frontieres

The six-week residency saw the development of a spontaneous performance 'Feeling Blue' into a celebratory jungle parade 'Up in Smoke' incorporating all of the local villagers. All of the work is scheduled to be re-presented for Glasgow's Merchant City Festival in 2007.

'Feeling Blue'

'Up in Smoke'

European touring led to Ian being invited to contribute to a 'coffee table book' produced by In-Situ called 'European Artists on the Road', and 'Painful Creatures' was also chosen as the subject of the first In-Situ project book. Closer to home, Ian has also contributed to the forthcoming book commemorating The Zap Club's 25th anniversary and will return to Brighton to host the launch event in 2007.

Various articles and presentations are being commissioned with more alarming frequency as Ian slowly achieves a historical perspective through sheer misguided tenacity. In 2006 Ian was shortlisted for a Creative Scotland Award, but then he sent in a DVD of himself stapling Nicholas Parsons to a giant 'Botticelli's Venus' on national TV.

On the popular culture front, Ian was delighted to accept a cameo role as the Head of the BBC in Annie Griffin's award winning feature film 'Festival' (2005).

While developing 'Bisch Basch Bosch' Ian has also been invited to lead a large outdoor project for the Hope Street Project to take place in 2008 when Liverpool is European City of Culture. He is proposing an international collaboration called 'The Hope Street Market' - linking Liverpool's two Cathedrals with an avenue of ridiculous market stalls and streetlife selling optimism, dreams and good humour.