Accented Body
body as site and in site
A dance-led creative project initiated during a development process in 2005. It was conceived, directed and produced by Cheryl Stock in collaboration with six interdisciplinary teams, who each responded to a detailed creative/research brief based on notions of connectivity and the investigation of the body ‘as site and in site’.
The defining concept of ‘accent’ arose from the ways in which the performing body is encoded: culturally, professionally, via intensive training in specialised techniques (ballet, contemporary dance, butoh, Chinese traditional and Malaysian trance dance), as well as autographically. The project also explored how technology ‘accents’ the virtual body, and how both the live and virtual body, together with technology, can connect and transform architectural sites.
Accented Body culminated in 4 major public performances in July 2006 staged across six Brisbane sites with further nodes in Seoul and London. Held during the Brisbane International Festival, six interconnected performance installations were created by thirty key artists from Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, working across the disciplines of dance, music, media and digital performance.
Accented Body initiated new ways of engaging with interdisciplinary, intercultural and interactive creative practices in large-scale outdoor environments by providing accessible, immersive promenade experiences for its audiences.
The project has also been a key catalyst for ongoing practice-led works for the artists involved, who have produced new versions of their contributions for major festivals in Osaka, Singapore, Indonesia and at The Royal Opera House, London; as well as resulting in a series of research publications and ongoing investigations into notions of the ‘accented’ body.
...innovative and adventurous... a cleverly constructed, highly coordinated production.
As I moved across the venues, I unexpectedly found myself becoming more sensually aware, not only of the different surfaces around me but of my own body as I noted texture and temperature.
This was an intriguing and inspiring event. The enduring applause of the audience showed their appreciation of the production. Cheryl Stock and her team are to be congratulated for the ingenuity and complexity of this successful production.
Michelle Boylan, 2006, ‘The Program’, an initiative of the Australia Council
For further details of contributing artists, their sites and accompanying research, refer to publications sections and photo documentation attached.