Study #1
The early
stages of
research —
During the research phase of “Inquiry into Time and Perception, Study #1” (2016), I entered into a process of studio exploration using movement patterns, in consultation with Montréal-based dance artist and teacher Mariko Tanabe. Her method of creating compelling choreographic studies is grounded in the exploration of Body-Mind Centering ® (BMC).
Utilizing the modalities of BMC principles for large-sized projection installations, the intention was to create “windows” opening onto the passions and the ambiguities of the physical and emotional manifestation, drawing the viewer to subtleties and fluctuations of intensity that might otherwise be unnoticed. The studies, which we built in studio, drew on a deep vitality, and the associated qualities addressing the senses, intellect, and imagination.
The shotlist
The intimacy that the camera provides is beautifully connected to the dynamic aliveness that is evoked in the cycles of Tanabe’s work, more specifically the power and complexity of this manifestation of emotions.
During the exhibition of the installation, the 10-minute loop of video was shown in silence and, as a result, amplified perspectives of the moving body. One person remarked, “the silence is so powerful,” while another said that they had the space in which to “fill in the blanks.” One person spoke about the “weight” of the dancers and suggested that in a future enactment I could perhaps use sound to elicit a response that would resonate in the viewer’s mind and body.
Dancer: Rachel Harris
Light Moves Festivals of Screendance, November 2015 — Shortlisted, Festival Prize.
“The living human body is constantly in process and as we change, the many different rhythms in our bodies change. When we are able to take the time to connect with what we feel - our senses open and our perception of time is altered.”
— MARIKO TANABE
The
teaser ❯
A two-channel version has been fashioned as an installation for exhibition in a gallery or museum space. Also, a single-channel version is intended for cinema viewing but can also work in an installation capacity.
Shot at 120 frames/sec allowing for the smooth slow movement.
Screenings —
“[…] poignancy of the slow but detailed framing of the movement.”
LOIKKA DANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Helsinki, Finland
“Slow, delicately graceful and silent.”
NANCY SNIPPER
SMR Culture Plus
“These vibrant video vignettes of the moving body stimulate the senses, the intellect and the imagination.”
FIFA (FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM SUR L’ART)
Montréal, Québec
Credits
Director: Philip Szporer
Director of Photography: Bill Kerrigan
Choreographer: Mariko Tanabe
Dancers: Mariko Tanabe, Rachel Harris
Editor and Consultant: Marlene Millar
Camera assistant: Fabio de Felice
Production assistant: Philip Fortin
Funding courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts, and support from Concordia University and Circuit-est.
