Live Ballet

My main inspiration for this project was always ballet. As soon as i decided on the concept of movement i knew that ballet dancers were going to feature i some way. As part of researching movement i went to a recital to take pictures.

 In particular i liked that some images were blurred, it gave the impression of movement more so than the stills.

In saying that the stills are beautiful images showing line and form of the body, which is something im am interested in exploring.

These pictures may not be useful in terms of making work from the images but its an essential part of the research. 

Photographing my movement

So after taking pictures of the ballet, i realized that really and truly i didn't want to capture a still second of movement. What i really want is to have work that u can feel and see what movement has/is happening.  I'm interested in the marks made by movement. But in a bid to capture that in relation to my movement i needed to use materials that left a trace. I decided to do a photography project  using light and powder to trace my movement. Using a 30 second long exposure, iv used battery powered fairy lights, a sparkler and baby powder to show the spinning movement. These are the results.

 This is me spinning around with a sparkler in my hand. U cant see me moving only the trace left behind.

 The baby powder doesnt give the same sharpness as the light bu it does still leave a trace.

This is the battery powered fairy lights, i wrapped them around my arms and rotated my arms. It almost look as if i have wings and am flapping them trying to fly.

Looking at the line and form of the body and how it moves to create such poses, has been the main focus of my project so far. But as my ideas develop I've started to look at the body in more detail, bone structures and muscles in particular.

My first thought was the acclaimed 'Human Body Exibition' where real bodies hav been Plastinated and preserved to educate us on the inner workings of our own bodies. The bodies are posed to illustrate how our bodies work during everyday activities. Some pictures i found of the specimens are posed in away that they look like ballet dancers.

In this way i can see every deatil of the bodies movement, every muscle and bone concerned in forming an elegant pose of the ballet dancer, the amount of ligements we use in running or just how the interconnect of all these nerves, muscles, circulary system effect each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It would be very difficult to be surrounded my images of ballerinas without noticing the constant similarities and comparisons between the graceful dancers and the swan. Every time i look at the shape, line and posture of the dancers i can see the resemblance.

Maybe this is the direction i should b taking my work. Can i change the way i move to b more like a bird? And what effect would that have on the my space?

Imma- In silent witness/ A dancing man By Michael Klien



Austrian choreographer Michael Klien presents his response yo the workings of lrelands legislature, based on his personal observations and his interaction with the range of individuals during his stay. This is demonstration.

The performance is based on Klien's time spent in the Dail as an observer in an unfamiliar system and studying daily life in the Oireachtas and the way in which they organise their affairs. Klien uses movement as way of expressing the inner workings of his mind, his thoughts concerns and questions.




This a completely new way to use movement not just as a means of getting from A to B but as a tool of the mind.

Klien plans to carry out simular performances out experiments on China's production lines and in New York's stock exchange over the coming years.

One of my favourite music videos at the moment is by American indie pop band Foster And The People's 'Houdini'. The band are recording a video for a new single when they are killed by a fallen stage light. In a bid to go through with the planned tour, music industry chiefs turn the band into literal puppets using robotics, green screen and jump suit actors. The result is a really disturbing but interesting performance by the morbid puppets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GMQLjzVGfw