ARTIFICIAL THINGS
FACT FILE
Choreographer: Lucy Bennet
Performed by: Stopgap Dance Company
Premiered on: 5th February 2014
Dancers: 4 (2 male and female)
Duration: 12 minutes
Performance space: Proscenium Arch Theatre
Accompaniment: Andy Higgs
Lucy Bennet has been immersed in Stopgap’s work since 2003 which has helped her to blend the interaction for different dancers. Working with a company that is inclusive of a diverse range of dancers has taught Bennett to express human experiences and stories through dance. Since 2012 Lucy has been the resident choreographer for Stopgap Dance Company and has molded the company into one that works with many choreographers whilst maintaining ownership of the creative process.
Stopgap has created performances that have toured nationally and internationally. They are an inclusive company, hiring disabled and non-disabled artists which creates innovative collaborations. The company’s purpose is to integrate all dancers from all backgrounds and abilities and nurturing artists to create inclusive works.
Bennet uses a collaborative approach with the dancers to create movement. The dancers are encouraged to contribute through choreographic tasks. How could this have impacted the movements created?
A lot of the movement from the piece has stemmed from Laura Jones’ movement in her wheelchair which was then adapted for the other dancers.
Stimulus: The overall stimulus for Artificial Things was a snow covered urban landscape with a lonely figure sat on a collapsed wheelchair. This person is being watched from afar like a snow globe. Paintings by the Serbian artist Goran Djurovic also influenced the design, costume and choreographic images within all the scenes. The dancers' personal experiences provided inspiration for the choreographic tasks.
The final scene (3) is about the characters in Artificial Things coming to term with life’s limitations. Everyone lives with differing limitations in life. The characters in this sad but peaceful scene are still confined within the snow globe that represents life’s limitations. The characters in this final scene come together and resolve to surrender to the idea that they must live with personal regrets.
In this scene Andy Higgs created a futuristic sound to signify that time had moved on and the characters’ old ways had been changed. In the piece he used the entirety of the piano, the inside and out to create a cold sound. He used paper snow and other sound effects such as rumbling, wind and footsteps to create ambient sound. Parts of the song ‘Sunshine Of Your Smile’ were used and distorted throughout and the whole song was used in the final scene.
SCENE 1: Shows underlying tension between the characters.
SCENE 2: Lots of action. Exciting but violent.
SCENE 3: The aftermath of the tragedy.
Anna Jones designed the costumes for the piece to represent being stuck in a painting by Djurovic and the dancers remove outerwear like coats and jackets to show that time moves on through the piece.
She also designed the set which was inspired by ‘Unknown Secrets’ by Djurovic. The background represents paint dripping down a canvas. In scenes 1 and 2 the background is painted with bright coloured strips which then die down to calmer visuals to demonstrate the change of mood within the piece. The paper snow is scattered in a diagonal line to Laura who is positioned downstage right.
Chahine Yavrovan designed the lighting. For much of the piece the lighting focuses in on one or two spots. It opens out in the middle, with a blue wash and warm and cool side lighting before closing down to another spot for the final solo.