Unfold

The second exhibition at Siobhan Davies Dance Studios with Studio Manifold, ‘Unfold,’ was held towards the end of our summer residency. It was inspired by our experiences working with the place and the people who use the studio. My work was entitled ‘The Foot of the Dancer.’

The Foot of the Dancer, 2013

On my first visit to the Siobhan Davies Studio I noticed the shoes that were left lying around the corridors, evidence of the dancers, the people that use the building to it’s full potential and bring it to life. Wanting to embrace this notion of personal traces, I worked directly with a selection of dancers who use the building, taking casts of their feet in various positions of expression.

These feet were reproduced in wax giving them a non-permanent delicacy and translucency. To mark the start of my journey and to symbolise the equality between artists, I cast my own ‘shy feet’ and placed them at the entrance of the studios.

Participants in the casting process included Helka Kaski, Andrea Buckley, Siobhan Davies and myself.

I asked two dancers, Helka Kaski and Andrea Buckley to handwrite me a letter describing a time when dance had a lasting and influential effect on their life. It was important that the letter also held traces of personality, a personal account exposed to the enquiring eyes of the reader. Writing being a physical form of expression made it feel a more appropriate means of communication. These letters were exhibited alongside the feet.