Amu

Tools

Fox, Shelley (2005) Amu. [Performance]

AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU
AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU	AMU

Type of Research:

Performance

Creators:

Fox, Shelley

Description:

Shelley Fox created the costumes for this production.

This mixed-media project began with a piece of music by Sir John Tavener entitled 'Amu', an Arabic word meaning ‘of the heart’, and became a large-scale ballet that incorporated art, animation, costume and science, involving nine dancers, fifty musicians and seven singers.

For this project I took my earlier research into experimental pattern-cutting in a new direction to address the question of movement in a series of dance costumes. I produced garments that ‘came alive’ in performance, working with the choreography and dancers’ movements to mimic the physiology of the human heart.

In each individually designed costume I used random pattern pieces from assorted domestic dress patterns which I layered in different ways to mimic the asymmetry of the heart. For example, one consisted of layers of extremely fine flesh-coloured fabric that moved like a heart when the dancer moved.

This production was an innovative creative collaboration based on discussions and mutual explorations between scientists, artists, dancers, and musicians. Sir John Tavener’s score was based on Sufi mysticism, and his own experience of heart disease, while my research process also involved a science interface. The entire creative team, including me, met with Tavener’s heart imager, Dr Philip Kilner and his team at the Royal Brompton Hospital London, to have their own hearts scanned in both 2D and 3D.

The project is thus an example of a successful art, science and design interface which advances creative insights in these fields.

Random Dance Company was put forward for a choreography award for Amu, which was subsequently performed across the UK and Germany, including a performance at the 2006 Venice Biennale.

Other Contributors: