Dancing Within Our Worlds
"An international collaboration synthesizing three distinct artistic skills: Sculpture, Performance, and Film.
— Creating compelling, digital stories."
Working with performers spanning four continents, each sculpture is created specifically for the performers, imbuing an emotional connection that will transform into their performance. Gary Kirkham and I gratefully acknowledge the funding support from the Waterloo-Region Arts Fund and The Good Family Foundation.
Artists: Lidia Kopina, (Russia), Gisel Sarahi (Mexico), Yaser Khaseb (Iran), Nada Abusaleh and Cosmic Fishing Theatre in association with MT Space, (Canada), Poesy (Canada)
Red Tree
Lidia Kopina , Lidia Kopina Company (Moscow, Russia)
“Home is always alive, it remembers your little feet running on its floor, your painting pictures on its walls, how fascinating and terrifying were shadows /appeared in the moonlight outside the window. “Red Tree” is a trip through memories of my Home, trip through your imagination.”—- Lidia Kopina
Using photos and hearing stories of Lidia’s childhood home, I re-created her home in Moscow. Russia, that suffered a fire, and burned. However, a singe apple tree was growing within the burned ruins. Her performance is one of childhood innocence, loss, and rebirth.
Rabia contra la Violencia / Rage Against Violence
Gisel Sarahi Vergara Herrera, (Mexico City, Mexico)
“Rage Against Violence” tells the true story of Gisel’s childhood friend Nayali, who’s mother vanished in 2010. The police and authorities have done nothing. We hope to bring light to Nayeli’s story and the countless women who have gone missing, not only in Mexico, but throughout our world. Listening to Gisel and her intention of expression, I created a sculpture embodying our emotional space we retreat within ourselves to cope with our trauma.
Inspired by the stone Laboradite, the stone of transformation, the sculpture emanates the many facets within ourselves and where we hide. Sitting precariously on stilts, within an instant we can be triggered and retreat. The outside of the sculpture reflects the Japanese art, Kintsugi ("golden joinery"), also known as Kintsukuroi ("golden repair"): repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. The windows offer hope, where there is darkness, there will always be light.
Vason
Yaser Khaseb (Tehran, Iran)
Sculpting and building the essence of the sacred 4th Century B.C. Taq-e Bostan in my studio, acclaimed Iranian performer Yaser Khaseb powerfully transforms the ancient petroglyphs into breath, bringing the soul to the stone.
In Yaser’s words:
“The performance of Vason is based on the Iranian legends….with emphasis on two legendary, mythical heroes: Rostam and Esfandiar ‘Gorasab’, Graz/ Horse.
‘Vason’ means stone arch. This short film is a conceptual physical narrative of the passage of the throne of time and the life of Iranian kings (Sasanian period) in the climate area of the Boar hunt in the heart of the Silk Road expressing the art of body movement and the rebellious movements: Body/ Mythology Body”
Watch the preview. Full Video coming soon. Vason will be shown at international festivals.
Fate Full
Nada Abusaleh of Cosmic Fishing Theatre ( Kitchener, Canada)
Fate Full is based on SHADED created by Nada Abusaleh, directed by Viktorija Kovac of A Theatre Mada and Cosmic Fishing Theatre Production in association with the MT Space.
Explored through magical realism, shadow puppetry, and mime, this workshop segment of SHADED asks what happens if the consequences of superstitions become real?
Diamonds
POESY (Toronto, Canada)
Phenomenal singer/songwriter POESY performs her singe “Diamonds” within my sculpture based on the Metropolitan Museum of Art, “As Above, So Below”. Poesy dreams of singing within this spectacular venue, and with the magic of the green screen she is transported.
“As Above, So Below” is available for purchase. Learn more.
Dancing Within Our Walls
“People often comment that they want to climb into my sculptures and explore…”
With beautiful irony, the pandemic initiated collaborations with artists from around the world; Blending artistic mastery of sculpture, theatrical performance and video special effects. Video artist Gary Kirkham and I gratefully received a Digital Originals Grant from The Canada Council of the Arts to explore and create a new way of making art that can be
distributed digitally.
The details:
I created a specific artwork, exploring my feelings in response to the pandemic: the uncertainty, the fear and emotional pain of isolation, and our physical separation from family and friends. I intentionally created a dark space in the background, and light into the foreground. With archways, pillars, and sunlight flowing through, these elements represent our hope of moving through the pandemic, creating a liminal space for Dancer/Choreographer Michele Hopkins to
perform within.
“Dancing Within Our Walls” , Oil on wood, 24 in x 29 in x 7 in, 2020 . Available for Purchase.
Michele brought the artwork into her studio, and choreographed an original dance piece, relating to my sculpture, and her response to the pandemic. With the magic of a green-screen, Gary Kirkham guided Michele through the technical elements of video recording. Gary brought it all together with his video editing and lighting.
I certainly opened up to a bigger space and opportunity of how art can affect a larger audience when we collaborate.
It is not about us individually, but us as a whole.
