Short + Sweet

In Review Autumnal Collective's Exciting A Blush :

It’s not quite dance, not quite art or theatre. By throwing aside the labels and their conventions Autumnal Collective has managed to inhabit an entire spectrum of emotion and experience with their debut work Exciting A Blush. Though touted as an exploration of the phenomenon of blushing and other bodily betrayal, the performance, under the direction of choreographer Angela Goh, succeeded in uncovering so much more.

From the opening minutes the audience was sent pitching and rolling through an ever-changing assault on the emotions, with no indication of where they might find themselves next. Uncomfortable and real, from utter delight to claustrophobic squirming to heart-shattering tenderness, nothing could have prepared me for this.

My immediate impressions of a lackluster set and uninspired costumes quickly became little cause for concern, as these elements were quickly eclipsed by the sheer intensity of the performance. Unfortunately the score, composed specifically for the work, continued to provide an unwelcome distraction. For the most part it was at odds with what was happening onstage and at other times it was completely superfluous. There was one point at where pre-recorded sound was used to great effect – being a sample of recorded applause, which increased in volume to a menacing end – but largely it was incidental sound - the rustling of paper, the ragged breath of the performers - that sat comfortably with this unconventional piece.

The performers themselves oozed personality. Eleanor Wood was the perfectly awkward outsider with a sting in her tail, while the owl perched akimbo atop her head was a stroke of prop/costume genius with allegorical intensity. Dancer Laura Boynes brought her powerful presence back to the Canberra stage: characteristically self aware, even self-deprecating, but always exuding a certain magnetism that leaves you unable to blink.

Dean Cross and Patricia Wood form a pair with electrifying chemistry, between them boasting some serious acting chops. The audience drew hardly a breath as they teetered the divide between violence and tenderness, ugliness and beauty, culminating in a heart-stopping kiss that left even the most hardened theatre-goer weak at the knees.

While it seemed much of my fellow audience found plenty to laugh about within this work, and left the theatre using words like ‘quirky’ and ‘sweet’, I felt I had an altogether different experience. There were definitely elements of wry humour, but for me the overall impression was one of aching poignancy. Every movement and utterance was captivating; heart wrenching in its familiarity, uncomfortable in its truth. Image after image remains still burnt into my memory.

Simple, raw and concise, Autumnal Collective have given form to an experience which is as close to home and close to the heart as all art hopes to be.

Perspectives: Jon Cattapan and eX de Medici: Get Some Perspective

At a time when Australia is focussing on its borders and regional stability, it is appropriate to consider our relationship with other Pacific nations.  Perspectives: Jon Cattapan and eX de Medici, on display at the Australian War Memorial (AWM), is a timely artistic exploration of the reality of peacekeeping and Australia’s engagement with countries in this region. 

The exhibition features the work of two contemporary Australian artists, each working at the fore of their discipline: Canberran eX de Medici and Melbourne artist Jon Cattapan. Both artists were engaged by the AWM as Official War Artists – part of an ongoing tradition that dates back to the First World War.  Perspectives is the culmination of these commissions, produced after being stationed with peacekeeping operations in the Pacific: eX de Medici in Solomon Islands, and Cattapan in Timor-Leste. 

The story of Timor-Leste is a struggle for independence from colonial rulers and aggressors. Colonised by Portugal in the 16^th century, it became a centre for Portuguese trade in the East. In 1975 it was decolonised and declared independent—an event that was met by swift and brutal invasion and occupation by Indonesia.

In 1999, with the aid of the United Nations and with Indonesia’s official acceptance, Timor-Leste was again declared independent.  Once more this was met with violence, as organised pro-Indonesia militia invaded, killing and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Australia was engaged to enter the country to quell the violence and restore order. In 2002, Timor-Leste was finally declared a sovereign state, and Australian peacekeepers remain to preserve stability while the people rebuild their country. 

Jon Cattapan’s work is typically progressive and questioning. Heavily influenced by the dynamic Punk culture of Melbourne in the 1970s Cattapan provides commentary on political processes and the way people react to and interact with politics. His hazy, sketchy style seems to naturally capture the tension and uncertainty of conflict. Working in paint from photographs, he plays with traditional ideas of photo-realism and documentary, creating images from both life and the imagination.

Cattapan’s work in Perspectives is essentially voyeuristic: they give a sense of watching and being watched and so elicit tension and tentativeness. While the canvas is dominated by coloured space and vague geographical markings, the works focus on the human presence of peacekeepers. People are presented uniting against history and adversity to build a future, encouraging positive engagement in the issues that still plague Timor-Leste today. 

Solomon Islands, where eX de Medici was stationed, are comprised of about 1000 islands linked by culture, trade and a sometimes-tenuous desire for unity. 

Australia’s earliest interaction with the state was the ‘blackbirding’ of islanders to work on sugar plantations in Queensland. The practice saw tens of thousands of people essentially kidnapped and relocated to live in Australia as ‘indentured servants’. In 1893 the United Kingdom incorporated Solomon Islands into the Commonwealth as a Protectorate.  Since then, it has been heavily influenced by European missionaries and staged several Second World War camps and battles—notably the Battle of Guadalcanal between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943.

The country began self-government in 1942 and was declared an independent member of the Commonwealth in 1978. The rule of this government has undergone short periods of stability, but is marked by intense and intermittent civil conflicts. In 2003, after numerous requests for international aid, Australia finally led a multi-national peacekeeping mission into Solomon Islands, where it remains an active presence to this day. 

In Perspectives, eX explores her positive experiences of peacekeeping in Solomon Islands, over an evolving history of civil unrest, physical abuse and cultural exploitation. She asks why Australian peacekeepers are in the country, and what led to the weakened civil unity which now compromises its struggle for independence. 

eX works primarily in watercolour. Her delicate works belie dark symbolism; infused by troubling realities which are ever-present, but not immediately discernable.

She often juxtaposes natural beauty with representations of violence, particularly guns.  The more her work is examined however, the more we are drawn into its seductive folds, the more we understand these violent aspects are not juxtaposition, but an everyday reality. In this, eX has floored an idea for contemplation: she does not condemn violence, but encourages her audience to consider their own feelings, to consider what is happening and to encourage thought, regardless of what conclusions are drawn.

As exhibition curator Laura Webster describes, the works included in Perspectives address a ‘savvy audience who don’t take what they’ve been spoon-fed’. 

The artists’ work is not only sympathetic or documentary, but politically and socially thoughtful. They voice ideas and concerns about peacekeeping and the events that have led to its necessity, encouraging viewers to consider what is happening in the world around them. 

Together, Jon Cattapan and eX de Medici present a refreshingly contemporary view of Australia’s involvement in foreign conflict. They respect and sympathise with Australian peacekeepers and do not critically assess their role. They do, however, acknowledge the history that has necessitated current peacekeeping operations and they ask us to consider this. Perspectives documents these operations from the viewpoint of two artists who do not encourage their audience to have a particular opinion, but do encourage them to have an opinion.

Perspectives - Jon Cattapan & eX de Medici opens September 2^nd and contines until March 2^nd 2011 at the Australian War Memorial. Entry is free.