MEMENTO
A film & photography exhibition celebrating human movement, showcasing Peter Greig's evocative dance imagery and storytelling. Commissioned and presented by Sydney Opera House for Spring Dance Festival, 2012.
Role
Photography, Script, Film Direction, Art Direction, Concept Development, Film Editing.
Narration
There is something in human movement that touches every living soul on this planet. Whether you're from the boroughs of New York, the shores of Sydney or the desert sands of Africa, you will find some kind of meaning in the slightest touch, the faintest whisper of a motion that beckons to be read, to be understood. As our irises dial wide on the pleasing aesthetics of the human form, with its glow of strength, weaving muscular rhythms under the lights of our favourite house, we forget all that we built up around us in our daily lives. We strip away just for a moment of pure vulnerability, leaving our hearts naked and open. But not by choice. It pulls us away, our instinctual primal urge to be seduced by the most fundamental of all human emotions. It can be heart warming, or it can be cold. It can be aggressive. Calming. Fun. Sad. Or entertaining. To dance is to be reckless. Reckless with our minds. For most of us it must mean something, it must tell a story. But there is no story, there is no deeper meaning… that promises to solve the riddles we have been searching to answer. There is only movement. Only grace. And that alone is enough to break down our walls, pull away our masks, and leave us empty. Ready to rebuild on new foundations of purity. Before we fade to ashes, there are only some of us can say that we have truly lived. Those that spent their lives looking to find their true selves, and in doing so found happiness. If you want to be happy. Get up. Get up and move. If you move enough, you will begin to dance. And dancing… pure, human, movement… is pure joy. These are the stories of four women who have chosen this as their way of life. This is their memento.
There is something in human movement that touches every living soul on this planet. Whether you're from the boroughs of New York, the shores of Sydney or the desert sands of Africa, you will find some kind of meaning in the slightest touch, the faintest whisper of a motion that beckons to be read, to be understood. As our irises dial wide on the pleasing aesthetics of the human form, with its glow of strength, weaving muscular rhythms under the lights of our favourite house, we forget all that we built up around us in our daily lives. We strip away just for a moment of pure vulnerability, leaving our hearts naked and open. But not by choice. It pulls us away, our instinctual primal urge to be seduced by the most fundamental of all human emotions. It can be heart warming, or it can be cold. It can be aggressive. Calming. Fun. Sad. Or entertaining. To dance is to be reckless. Reckless with our minds. For most of us it must mean something, it must tell a story. But there is no story, there is no deeper meaning… that promises to solve the riddles we have been searching to answer. There is only movement. Only grace. And that alone is enough to break down our walls, pull away our masks, and leave us empty. Ready to rebuild on new foundations of purity. Before we fade to ashes, there are only some of us can say that we have truly lived. Those that spent their lives looking to find their true selves, and in doing so found happiness. If you want to be happy. Get up. Get up and move. If you move enough, you will begin to dance. And dancing… pure, human, movement… is pure joy. These are the stories of four women who have chosen this as their way of life. This is their memento.
Written by Peter Greig © 2012
