Collisions
A photo documentary
This, is a story about a collision. A courageous journey, into unknown territory. An expansion of the mind and of the senses. A bond made between strangers who have dared to connect, on a new platform. This is a story about learning to dance, in a world that is silent.
When people consider dance, they will often naturally associate it with music, sound, a connection with audio rhythm. However, I am going to put it to you that the phenomena of dance is so much more than that. Dance is a vessel of explosive expression. Dance is a primordial energetic release. Dance is a connection to the energy that makes up the essence of every being in this universe. It is about using nothing but the rawest of materials: our own body, our senses, our mind and our soul, to express our emotions, thoughts and experiences as a human. It is this natural instinct of the individual which bonds and connects us as whole. Twisting and twirling in colourful transformations, it travels across all countries and cultures alike. So why can’t it travel from the culture of sound into the culture of silence?
What I present is a small piece of a large journey, embarked on by a handful of humans who prove that it can, and an insight into what might just happen, when these cultures collide. This documentary follows a contemporary dance project in Melbourne, Australia, which for the first time brings together a team of both hearing and non-hearing humans. The crew consists of three deaf and four hearing dancers, a deaf actress, and two choreographers; one deaf and one hearing. In bringing these people together, this very unique project allows those involved to begin to explore the relationships between their two worlds.
When people consider dance, they will often naturally associate it with music, sound, a connection with audio rhythm. However, I am going to put it to you that the phenomena of dance is so much more than that. Dance is a vessel of explosive expression. Dance is a primordial energetic release. Dance is a connection to the energy that makes up the essence of every being in this universe. It is about using nothing but the rawest of materials: our own body, our senses, our mind and our soul, to express our emotions, thoughts and experiences as a human. It is this natural instinct of the individual which bonds and connects us as whole. Twisting and twirling in colourful transformations, it travels across all countries and cultures alike. So why can’t it travel from the culture of sound into the culture of silence?
What I present is a small piece of a large journey, embarked on by a handful of humans who prove that it can, and an insight into what might just happen, when these cultures collide. This documentary follows a contemporary dance project in Melbourne, Australia, which for the first time brings together a team of both hearing and non-hearing humans. The crew consists of three deaf and four hearing dancers, a deaf actress, and two choreographers; one deaf and one hearing. In bringing these people together, this very unique project allows those involved to begin to explore the relationships between their two worlds.
‘This work will explore the concept of "Collision". On the surface, there is no identifiable difference but in our daily lives the gap is exposed. It is not a reflection on disability/ability but on how any two worlds separated by a language barrier, experience and ways of living come together. In the merging of two cultures, we explore the effects of when two worlds collide. What are the consequences/ripple effects? What relationships form? What emotions emerge? How can we move together to find the balance, the common ground, from where we all stand.’
