Skeleton
previous Project
Explosively realised, Skeleton sees a set of characters discover the hidden stories of pop culture icons.
In a jigsaw style reconstruction, bodies and the objects are constantly fitted together and pulled apart revealing the influence they have on each other. The choreography is a reconstruction of the memories each performer has of each object. Meeting surprising and violent ends, bodies and objects collide via a sinister vanishing screen that gives the performance a dreamlike cut and paste feel.
Skeleton is inspired by the work of Australian artist Ricky Swallow. Best known for carving replicas of objects from his childhood, Swallow treats icons and everyday objects in the same way. In his work Everything is Nothing (2003) a bone-like Adidas hooded sweatshirt is draped over a human skull, the replicas are like archaeological artefacts, the traces people leave behind them.
Skeleton explores the way different human bodies interact with objects they have previously experienced. The bone-like replica objects that the dancers interact with are familiar items from popular culture – a t-shirt, stiletto shoe, BMX bicycle, a skateboard. From rigor mortis to The Karate Kid, Larissa McGowan’s long-running fascination with skeletal form cuts to the quick with a choreographic haste that has the five dancer’s bones popping, locking and pulsing in place.
Performance History
- 2013
Adelaide Festival
Australia
Dance Massive – Melbourne
Australia