{"id":37712,"date":"2021-11-05T01:48:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T08:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=37712"},"modified":"2021-11-04T17:52:06","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T00:52:06","slug":"exploring-our-humanity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2021\/11\/05\/exploring-our-humanity\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring our humanity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Body Line of Thought (BLOT) examines \u201cour microbiome as a collection of organisms in perpetual transformation.\u201d (photo by Ionut Rusu)<\/em><\/p>\n

Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance) and Simona Deaconescu (Tangja Collective) explore aspects of our humanity in their dance and art. Their collaborative Body Line of Thought<\/em> (BLOT<\/em>) is a four-video installation that \u201caims to strip the body of social meanings and rethink it as an interconnected system.\u201d<\/p>\n

BLOT<\/em> runs Nov. 24-28, 1-4 p.m., at KW Studios as part of the Dance Centre\u2019s 13th biennial Dance in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn BLOT<\/em>, we are interested in examining our microbiome as a collection of organisms in perpetual transformation,\u201d explained Goodman. \u201cThe human body contains trillions of microorganisms, that outnumber human cells by 10 to one. Each person\u2019s bacterial composition acts as an ersatz fingerprint: when two people touch, they exchange parts of this identity. With each point of contact we essentially \u2018infect\u2019 each other with bacteria. We incorporate these themes of communication and contamination on a physical level. We are interested in the banality and the danger of such exchanges.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the main focuses of BLOT <\/em>is centred around bacteria being an agent of infection and salt becoming a cleaning and restructuring force in our bodies,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe are not scientists, but we are fascinated by how these basic elements of our biological makeup can drastically inform our mental and physical health. Both salt and bacteria transform organic material, and we are drawn to transformation within our work. We are interested in applying these relationships to our art practice, and this has allowed us to create a new space to explore conceptually and physically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without salt, \u201csenses are dulled, muscles can\u2019t fire, and nerves cease to function,\u201d Goodman said. \u201cIn BLOT<\/em>, salt acts as a conductor for our creativity. We explore salt as a staging material and incorporate many of its tactile qualities across various mediums, providing a textural through-line between visuals, sound and movement. We try to reframe the banality of sweat, a ubiquitous element of every dance, as a thematic focus instead of a mere byproduct.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of their research, Goodman and Deaconescu went to Portugal, where they were in residence with Bio-Friction at Cultivamos Cultura. There, said Goodman, \u201cwe learned how to cultivate our own bacteria in agar dishes and studied this information and imagery to build BLOT<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work in dance and art aims to speak not only about widely discussed issues but also about the unseen life that shapes our body and connects it with the outside world,\u201d she said. \u201cWe seek reciprocity in our practice, parallel to that of a healthy immune system: to become stronger, one must first be vulnerable and exposed.\u201d (BLOT<\/em> includes nudity.)<\/p>\n

BLOT<\/em> was presented as a three-video installation at Left on Main last year, via 20 personal Zoom performances. Its creators, Goodman and Deaconescu (who is also a filmmaker), connected when they were both choreographers at Springboard Danse Montr\u00e9al in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring this intensive working period, we realized how many artistic interests we share,\u201d said Goodman. \u201cWe both use a deconstructed vernacular that flirts with pop culture and is mediated by the lens of conceptual and physical landscapes. We are interested in looking at the body as a biological technology that can be altered by its environment, which is especially relevant today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dance in Vancouver features many ticketed and free events at various locations. This year\u2019s festival was co-curated by Australia-based Angela Conquet with Michelle Olson and Starr Muranko of Vancouver\u2019s Raven Spirit Dance. Some performances, films and events will also be available online. For tickets and information, visit thedancecentre.ca\/event\/dance-in-vancouver-2021<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Body Line of Thought (BLOT) examines \u201cour microbiome as a collection of organisms in perpetual transformation.\u201d (photo by Ionut Rusu) Vanessa Goodman (Action at a Distance) and Simona Deaconescu (Tangja Collective) explore aspects of our humanity in their dance and art. Their collaborative Body Line of Thought (BLOT) is a four-video installation that \u201caims to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[6763,20963,3119,8209,1855],"class_list":["post-37712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-biology","tag-blot","tag-dance","tag-philosophy","tag-vanessa-goodman"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}