Morphology

performance + photography

Morphology sees inanimate material become a compelling character within a non sequitur surrealist narrative. The landscape of the body is mediated by embodied cognition.

The figure responds to the materialisation of a place, where fantastical and ephemeral forces sculpt enigmatic identities by changing the parameters of the physical and imagined.

At the heart of the work, anatomical, spiritual, environmental and topographical themes imbue a liminal terrain, with the material evocative of cosmological events induced by the complexity of the natural forces of wind.

The practice of kinesthetic and choreographic art privilege the empathetic body of the performer, providing a phenomenological platform for a body that moves in not only space, but also a body that moves the space around and through itself.

Morphology and topographical metaphors subvert the impression of boundaries and the perception of stability and sovereignty presumed by maps and representation, such as the geopolitical effect of cartography on the imagination or the gender mapping of the human body.

A panoptic sensibility is created between the cartography of the map and the embodiment of the territory, between the magic of virtual representation and the creation of an embodied present.

The fabric comes to life, driven by the poetic power of air currents, to intersect the landscape of the body. The figures choreographic response sees the collision of ephemeral forces to sculpt liminal terrain.

Morphology is the relationship of form, shape and structure. The exhibition Morphology is a series of photo media images and video that animates lifeless material to become a compelling character within a choreographic duet. The concept of form and substance is linked within visual representation through the impossibility of knowing beyond the senses. From Jorge Luis Borges to Gregory Bateson and René Magritte the argument that - perception always intercedes between reality and ourselves - allows for the simulation of form, shape and structure within visual representation.

These images represent a surreal narrative. The textile augments the territory of the dancer's body as it is engulfed within torrents of air and wind. A series of twelve-floor fans circle the dancer, generating a column of invisible air currents that lifted and unfurl the fabric's length. A second identity materialises as fantastic forms shape from ephemeral forces. The changing parameters of physical and subconscious space sculpt enigmatic and compelling images of aesthetic beauty.

The exhibition grew from a 2012 Ausdance Qld residency in The Space, Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns.

exhibition format

6 framed digital prints
large format wall decal PhotoTex 100% Polyester fabric (removable adhesive) 3.3x3.8m or 12.5m square
Morphology Timebase 1 2016, digital video, Steven Campbell (Sound)
Morphology Timebase 2 2016, digital video, Steven Campbell (Sound)

artists

Russell Milledge (photography, film, edit) Rebecca Youdell (dancer), Steven Campbell (sound)
Event Russell Milledge (installation design), Rebecca Youdell (performer)

venue

2 April - 21 May 2016 KickArts Gallery One VOID SPACE, Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns. A live event was performed as part of the exhibition. Opening 1 April 7pm 2016 Centre of Contemporary Arts, Cairns 2012

sponsors:
In association with the New Move Network - Ausdance Qld, KickArts Contemporary Arts, James Cook University Creative Arts, Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns, Arts Queensland, Nintiringanyi Cultural Training Centre, Australia Council for the Arts

Video documentation: ... to come