Add to playlist
This two-channel experimental dance piece is a site-specific devised collaboration inspired by the International Museum of Surgical Science’s ‘Hall of the Immortals’ - also a former reception hall for dances and society events when the historic building was once a home. Many large stone statues of scientists throughout history stand around the walls, their plaques speaking of their achievements and contributions to medical science. The video installation as a whole is composed of several ‘movement chapters’, with each dance-chapter being a movement-based response to an aspect of some of the contributions of the scientists depicted in the room. These include; blood circulation, respiration, artificial body parts, anatomy, the nervous system, diagnosis - along with inspiration from the history of the room itself as a former space for social dances and the current utilization of the space as a museum. The two video channels enable the viewer to experience the installation from two perspectives or dispositions. The large projected video is more ephemeral in nature, like ghosts of the past haunting the space or the elusive nature of abstract thought. The small version of the video is more solid and tangible - like the stone of the statues themselves or the pursuit of scientific veracity. The title of the piece, ‘On the motion of the heart and the blood’, is inspired by a similarly named medical text from the 1600’s. The accompanying soundscape was created by the artist using recordings of prescription scale weights from the International Museum of Surgical Science collection.
