We Fold Into
A new dance performance by Jessi Lewis forged from the experiences of his recent travels to rural and urban India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Memories of personal encounters with individuals and communities forming much of the development process.
“Yesterday, there was light and there was shade. Tomorrow the next will be as unrecognisable to the last. This work is an intimate dance for one, from reflection it finds a place of stillness, amongst the inaudible chaos that ensues.”
It is a work that meditates on the questions of assimilation, greed, power and the gentrification that sees both the individual and the cultural, slowly starting to fold unto thus emerging as a new global collective. An identity that through equality brings a homogenized idea of who we are. Amongst transition and transformation and juxtaposed here against the hope and personal warmth found in some places.
We Fold Into takes on an improvised physical language, retracting a battle between “good” and “evil”, built from a foundation of sound, spoken word and projection. The experience conceptually and thematically poses a question of geographical exoticism, of how the introduction of something ‘foreign’ can spark a chain reaction amongst people. An elevation to something higher for what cultural exoticism can pose is negative and shallow. Beyond this is what cultural wealth the exchange really brings to the table; diversity and depth in autonomous evolution or morphing. Here depth is the common impetus for new aesthetics.
Jessi Lewis creates solo performance works that are cross disciplinary and highly visceral. He has recently returned from Malaysia performing for the 3rd year as part of Melaka Art and Performance Festival. He also performed as part of Arts Island Festival and Tobong Arts Festival (Indonesia) and Mangar Art and Performance Festival (India). His work has been deeply influenced inspired by these experiences, most notably the people and cultures unique to these places. Ultimately his work seeks to inspire thoughts and conversations by challenging the status quo.
WE FOLD INTO
FRIDAY THE 18TH OF MARCH
3 SESSIONS @ 7.30PM, 8.30PM, 9.30PM THE NICHOLAS BUILDING MELBOURNE TICKETS $15 TRYBOOKING.COM.AU/KHZF
