current
We play, I push, You hold, We fall
2023Dokumentation from exhibition at Konsthall 16
according to wich she directed the participants, resulting in a kind of filmed and editeng performance. Revisiting themes she has processed previously, she introduces them to a new setting.
The walls of the exhibition space are draped in shiny turquoise textile and the floor covered in turquoise carpeting, and in front of the back wall a film is projected on a huge screen. This time, the only scene is a dimly-lit indoor swimming pool, where three women dancers interact. The scenario is ambiguous. We accompany the characters above and below the water surface in seemingly improvised actions that oscillate between quiet friendship, lively games and animated wrestling where the line between play and unpleasant seriousness is blurred.
The suggestive soundtrack, specially composed. by Mira Eklund, changes according to whether we experience the film to be above or below the surface. underwater, sound are muffled, and vague whale-like noises enhance the mood, which is shattered when “we” come up for air. The speed also enhances the sensation of moving through water, as movements are slower below the surface.
Various devices are used to evoke the dual nature of water as aplace of play but also a danger.
Early on, the three characters throw themselves into the pool. Submerged, arms and legs entwine in a chaos of bubbles. Both the body compositions and their clothing occasionally suggest the “wet drapery” of classical Greek sculptures. Gentle movements are followed by balancing and playing with floating sculptures made by the artist. The colour combinations used in these sculptures- red and white ore yellow and black, the same as in warning signs- send a slightly disturbing message. Almost imperceptibly, a line is crossed, and the initial friendly playfulness turns into something more akin to a fight. Feelings run high, and the young women´s interaction fluctuates between friendship and antagonism. Although the serene ending is open to interpretation, the line markings of the pool in the background seem to form an ominous black cross.
Text: Ulrika Levén, curator at Konsthall 16