Atlanta Eke. The Space Theatre. Vitalstatistix. 10 Mar 2016
Atlanta Eke’s Body of Work does for dance, performance art and DSLR photo documentation what Laurie Anderson’s work does for deconstructing and rebuilding sound and lyrics as social and political commentary.
There is no mystery about what Eke does on stage, which is the least surprising aspect of the production. There is a brilliant flash of humour.
Eke begins the production by walking down the stairs of the audience seating area as animate lounge. Her costume is magnificent, comically scary. The lounge takes centre stage, and slowly, ever so slowly, does the splits and slides off stage right. This serves as an interesting take on the audience, on who the camera is turned on as they took their seats, waiting for the performance to begin, gazing at themselves projected on the scrims.
The audience sees what’s done, is aware of the two projection scrims before them, is also aware a DSLR still/video camera is being adjusted as it films and projects Eke’s image. They are not, however, aware of the slowly constructing intent and meaning behind what is obvious to their eyes.
Eke creates components of images involving costume, additional props and make up effects before us. Then, the camera, Daniel Jenatsch’s wonderfully technology orientated sound score, and Matthew Adey’s effects lighting, takes over.
The angle at which Eke is photographed and projected in motion, often offers something different on the projection scrim. To make it more interesting, the camera is set to lapse delay and repeat, resulting in a series of motions, or images infinitely reflected; to the point her body in motion on the floor appears in projection like an alien Borg.
Over the less than hour of the production, Eke constructs a series of fascinating ‘movies’ if you like, in which her body, objects, light, shapes and movement have been captured and rendered in a new ‘reality’ in which time, motion and reactions are completely reconstructed.
Her choreography is not one of classical symbolism or contemporary expressionism that arrives whole in performance. It’s a collection of practical moves that only part fulfil her goal. The camera’s reconstruction of it makes the ‘move’ complete in projection. What Eke does on the floor is alike to a performer setting up a prop or a costume piece to assist a complete effect in performance.
Body of Work is a doubly mesmerising experience. By the artist building the work, and as the audience experiences its end product, they live in two dimensions of space time simultaneously. We do this every day with our camera equipped phones. Ponder that one for a bit.
David O’Brien
When: 10 to 12 March
Where: The Space Theatre
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au
