Julie-Anne Long and Martin del Amo, Benched, Micro Parks 2013, presented by Performance Space in Association with Sydney Festival 2013 photo Lucy Parakhina |
Benched, Julie-Anne Long and Martin Del Amo’s dance piece, was performed in a wee plot wedged between two houses. The space was charmingly long and skinny with one graffitied wall, one lone central tree, one sunny park bench beyond the reach of the tree’s shade, a partially vine-covered chicken wire back fence and a whole lot of grass. A backdrop of trains pulling into Erskineville Station complemented the dancers’ slow motion entrance and framed the entire performance as serene and other-worldly. Serenity, à la The Castle, played into the performers’ Italian-holiday themed exploration of sitting postures lifted from courtroom drama, sporting matches and talk shows. ‘Marty’ and ‘Julie’ each assumed a sequence of seated stances as solos—individuals cohabiting the bench. Then the two swapped performances, lending new perspectives on the ways certain shapes are gendered and enculturated, changing the stories of these two solitary characters amid an imaginary, crowded grandstand. Props, including a fluoro orange esky filled with colourful drinks melded the performance with the park setting.
Perched on little stools, the audience grew. Kids scrambled in front of us to laze on the grass. Dogs too. Most of us were sitting in full sun on a 35 degree day, so we had great sympathy for the dancers who were glaring back at the sun in a “you won’t break us” stand-off. Long and Del Amo won and the sky opened up late afternoon Sunday, closing the third day of performances two hours early.
Those attendees who would complain about the elements complained about the elements. “First it was too hot, and then it rained.” Unless audiences adopt a Zen-like mindset and accept that impending rain and possible cancellation are part of the art—the fragility that makes an event like this special—disappointment is inevitable. The organisers had tried to provide shade and refreshments, knowing that walking between mini parks would tire some visitors. At Benched an array of fruit, Italian soft drinks and amaretto cookies were silver-plattered around after the half-hour performance.
I am an Island, Jess Olivieri with the Parachutes for Ladies, Micro Parks 2013, presented by Performance Space in Association with Sydney Festival 2013 photo Lucy Parakhina |
Wabi-Sabi Afternoon Tea, Sarah Goffman, Micro Parks 2013, presented by Performance Space in Association with Sydney Festival 2013 photo Lucy Parakhina |
Some Extra Luck, Kate Mitchell, Micro Parks 2013, presented by Performance Space in Association with Sydney Festival 2013 photo Lucy Parakhina |
With any luck, we’ll see more of these sorts of events in Sydney’s Inner West where the public are reclaiming public space. Reclaim the Lanes carried the torch into February. Where to next?
Performance Space and Sydney Festival, Micro Parks: Kate Mitchell, Sarah Goffman, Jess Olivieri with the Parachutes for Ladies, Julie-Anne Long and Martin Del Amo, various locations in Newtown and Erskineville, Sydney, Jan 11-13
RealTime issue #113 Feb-March 2013 pg. 30
© Felicity Clark; for permission to reproduce apply to [email protected]