Calvin & Awkwardness, 8:56 minutes 2023.
ART & .. is a new series of films from the National Galleries of Scotland - using contemporary art to explore wider social, political, and cultural themes. Created in collaboration with artists, these films will examine the connections between contemporary art and the world it's made in.
Calvin & Awkwardness was commissioned and produced by the National Galleries of Scotland. This is a new style intertwining performance and interview within my work. Adressing the audience directly about the immediacy of performance, blurring fact and fiction through scripts, and the shared human experience of feeling awkward. I am working and thinking through themes of masculinity, identity, voice, place in society, meritocracy, dyslexia, self-esteem, confidence and environments.
The performance 'Calvin & Back At The Gym' was devised for the film, and performed in west Pilton North Edinburgh in January, 2022. You can view this film by following this link Calvin & Awkwardness
Film credits:
Fully commissioned and produced by the National Galleries of Scotland, Producer and script development by Polly Wright, Make-up by Jak Morgan, Styling by Lois Blamire, Filmed by Jen Martin & Becky Manson, Edited by Becky Manson, Music by Alex Johnston, Sound mix by Jenny Ek and finally Grade by Jen Martin.
Calvin & Cat Pee, 16 minute (3 min excerpt), 2021.
Calvin & Cat Pee focusses on overcoming personal challenges and how human connection can bring relief. Commissioned by Tramway for ‘Performance Now’ during lockdown that featured on Take Me Somewhere Festival 2021. Collective experiences and struggles. Calvin & A Series of Events sees Calvin Z. Laing presented four filmed works written during lockdown and performed in and around spaces at Tramway. In the same manner as TV soap scheduling, each performance will be broadcast once during the week followed by the entire omnibus on Saturday 29th May 2021.
Calvin & Lockdown (second in Scotland) Shop (3 min excerpt) 13 minute, 2021.
Calvin & Lockdown (second in Scotland) Shop considers more public displays of class and consumption. Collective experiences and struggles. Commissioned by Tramway for ‘Performance Now’ during lockdown that featured on Take Me Somewhere Festival 2021. Calvin & A Series of Events sees Calvin Z. Laing presented four filmed works written during lockdown and performed in and around spaces at Tramway. In the same manner as TV soap scheduling, each performance will be broadcast once during the week followed by the entire omnibus on Saturday 29th May 2021.
Calvin & Sauna, 12 min (3 min excerpt), 2021.
Calvin & Sauna recalls an encounter that raised questions around preconceived ideas about culture, etiquette and performative masculinity. Commissioned by Tramway for ‘Performance Now’ during lockdown that featured on Take Me Somewhere Festival 2021. Calvin & A Series of Events sees Calvin Z. Laing presented four filmed works written during lockdown and performed in and around spaces at Tramway. In the same manner as TV soap scheduling, each performance will be broadcast once during the week followed by the entire omnibus on Saturday 29th May 2021.
Calvin & Karaoke, 13 minute, (3 min excerpt), 2021.
Calvin & Karaoke centres on performing for the self and embodying your voice as a cathartic experience, insecurities, the fear from judgement, liberation and voice.Commissioned by Tramway for ‘Performance Now’ during lockdown that featured on Take Me Somewhere Festival 2021. Calvin & A Series of Events sees Calvin Z. Laing presented four filmed works written during lockdown and performed in and around spaces at Tramway. In the same manner as TV soap scheduling, each performance will be broadcast once during the week followed by the entire omnibus on Saturday 29th May 2021.
Calvin & A Series of Events, 6 min Interview, 2021.
An interview with beloved friend and producer Polly Wright producer programmer at CCA Brighton, Incidental Unit coordinator and graduating from the Dutch Art Institute 2019. Commissioned by Tramway for ‘Performance Now’ during lockdown that featured on Take Me Somewhere Festival 2021.
Calvin & Jogging, 17 min (3 min excerpt), 2021.
Calvin Z. Laing (whose film Calvin & Metro, featured in our 2012 programme) revisits the neighbourhood of their childhood in the suburbs of Edinburgh to present a new online performance Calvin & Jogging, filmed by Jen Martin.
Laing performs live from the suburb of Drylaw, built in the 1950s on land surrounding the historic mansion of Drylaw House, and one of a several new suburbs to be built in Edinburgh in the post-war period. We follow the artist as he revisits the suburban landscapes of his youth, and mixes musings on his personal experience of lockdown with reminiscences of a time before the pandemic. Humorously unpicking the tropes of news reportage and documentary, Laing explores the emotional complexities of lockdown, which has for many resulted in a return to the family home and/or associated memories, as well as the chance to take up new pursuits (which we might long ago have realised were not for us).
In a specially produced trailer with music by Alex Johnston, we glimpse snippets of the idiosyncratic and colourful script, which underpin all of artist’s performances, and which are often exhibited alongside film documentation.
Calvin & Jogging will be broadcast every Thursday at 7pm and every Saturday at 11am on this webpage, from the 30 July – 30 August.
Calvin & Geppetto ( in a time of crisis ), 25 min (3 min excerpt) 2021.
A 25 minute performance to camera in one take during the peak of the ‘unprecedented times’ ... This work was broadcasting live on Twitch TV thanks to the skills and generosity of Lori E Allen https://lorieallen.com on two occasions:
Wed 27th May 8pm | Saturday 30th May 11am
----> https://www.twitch.tv/calvinzlaing <-----
The performance is shot in the domestic setting of my house in Scotland, moving around different scenes within the set. The script is based on an event in London while house siting and looking after a Cornish Rex, cat Geppetto. I have to disclose there is mild nudity.
Calvin & Breakfast, 2019. 14 min ,(3 min excerpt) Off Site Project an online platform., Mexico CityLondon, UK.
Eliott Burns and Piita Arreola invited Laing to present a new performance work titled Calvin & Breakfast, which related to Calvin & Italian Citizenship. Speaking through the language of bureaucratic convention. Calvin Z. Laing’s performative rediscovery of his Italian roots and successful application for dual nationality, stages an escape from Brexit and reconnection to the European community. A moving personal account of his great grandfather’s mistreatment by the British during the Second World War, his near death during the sinking of the SS Arandora Star, is contrasted to the formal banalities Laing experiences at the Italian Consulate in Edin- burgh.
Calvin & Ancient Times, 12 min (2 min excerpt) 2018.
The performance was developed during a one-month residency produced for A-DASH in Athens over May 2018 with generous support for travel by European Cultural Foundation and support from the Emerging Artist Bursary Scheme by Creative Scotland.