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Moving Matter is led by Interdisciplinary dance artist Rob Kitsos in collaboration with designer, dance artist Meagan Woods, film maker Beau Han Bridge and music collective Westport Sunrise Sessions.
The methodology we have been developing (see below) is in process and always shifting as we work. We think of the methodology as a flexible structure that can shift depending on the material and collaborating artists. Kitsos and Woods published an article outlining each step of the process- Moving Matter: A Methodology for Material-led Collaborations in the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Journal -Dec 2023.
Through this work, we are attending to the creative potency of non-human material. Our research asks how can materials be equal collaborators in the creative process, and what innovations emerge when we pay close attention to the dynamic, generative aspects of diverse materials, in a gesture that challenges our often human centred approaches to art making?
Kitsos has experimented with these processes in his work as a professor in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University. Working with objects as points of departure in interdisciplinary collaborative projects, groups of students from dance, theatre, music and sound, visual art, design and film, experiment with different modes of making and analysing new work.
Inspired by this research, Kitsos has developed a website that collects tools for making across disciplines. With the help of artists from a range of backgrounds, the site includes categories of space, sound, improvisation, group, form, build/expand and inspiration- each with a list of adaptable exercises. mappingcollaboration.com
In the Moving Matter research between 2022-2024 -Kitsos, Woods, and Bridge created three short experimental films. We are excited about our screening of our first work (linoleum) at the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City in February this year, and have just completed edits on our second two processes (Wool and Plastic Wrap). Kitsos also completed a fourth project in Nerac France using the Moving Matter Template based on a room at Studio Faire. We envision these works as an installation with some of the raw materials, methodology and process information. We also plan on live choreographic works set inside the installation.
We have had the pleasure of working with many talented individuals on these works including Erika Latta, Lorraine Kitsos, Michael J. Meneer, Anna Wang-Albini, Sydney Bluck, Olivia Johnson, Alexandra Caprara, Brett Palaschiuk, Desiree James, Max Tyler-Hite, Irfan Brkovic, and Liz Oakley and Winston Le.
Our team has applied for further funding to work with four textile artists from Germany, Canada and the States. In these future collaborations we intend to collaborate with data, ephemeral textiles, organic substances and architectural matter as our guiding materials.
Material-Led method template (M-LMT)
These steps were used as a basic outline of our process with each material. The framing terms below the template helped us organize our analysis along the way. Variations of order depended on the materials and rehearsal processes. - STAGE 1 | EKPHRASIS: Vigorously study and describe the material. Before touching or moving it, observe the matter closely, devotionally. Compile an ekphrastic collection of descriptions.
- STAGE 2 | CONTACT/KINAESTHESIS: Haptically engage with the material, noting its texture, mass, and feel on the body. Practice listening and following more than leading and deciding. Return to your ekphrastic writing and add new observations.
- STAGE 3 | TRANSFORMATION: Explore how the material can change compositionally. Fold, stretch, freeze, burn, blow, drop, crush, slide, etc. Document how and if the matter alters its form under various conditions.
- STAGE 4 | ROOT: Research the origins of the material- where on the planet is the matter derived from, how did it get here, what are the historical, political, and social contexts this material has found itself situated in, then and now? What are some of the cultural associations? How has it been used by other artists, designers, consumers?
- STAGE 5 | DISTILLATION: Center around key terms/images/patterns that resonate or consistently resurface throughout the process. What ideas speak to the spirit of the material, to the rising interests of this collaborative process? Sharpen and refine the pathways that are most compelling to the team.
- STAGE 6 | MATERIAL GENERATION: Explore, develop, and revise movement motifs and textile fabrications. Work back and forth between choreographic and wearables designs to emphasize an impacting approach across dance, body, and non-human matter. Consider other interacting material components, including sound, scenography, projections, lighting, location, architecture, landscape, and public engagement.
Framing Terms: for analysis at each stage above:
Vibration, Shape, Line, Surface, Texture, Scale, Anatomy, Weight, Patterns, Complexity, Depth, Active/Passive, Rhythm, Gesture, Resolution, Symmetry-Asymmetry, Repetition, Landscape, Arc
Contact:
rkitsos@sfu.ca
Screening:
Moving Matter (linolium short film) will have its world preimiere at the Dance on Camera Festival in New York City- Lincoln Center Feb 2024. The same film will screen at the Oslo Short Film Festival where it is nominated for best short film.
Vimeo trailer: Link
Publicatoin:
Moving Matter: A methodology for material-led collaborations: Theatre, Dance and Performance Training Journal Dec. 2023
Tool box:
Mappingcollaboration.com
Made possible with support from:
School for the Contemporary Arts,
Simon Fraser University
Social Science and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant
Cotext Frontal Artist Residency,
Arraiolos, Portugal 2023