Tanya Voges – on bringing dance to the gallery
There are quite a few recent examples of dance making its way out of the theatre and into the gallery space. Following a successful opening weekend over the 8th-9th July and currently installed at The Mill in Adelaide, the Make|Shift exhibition has the works of Liam Sommerville, Sarah Neville, Ray Harris, Inneke Taal and Tanya Voges, who were mentored by projection experts Tim Gruchy and Cindi Drennen under the artistic and curatorial facilitator Margie Medlin.
As part of the residency that resulted in Make|Shift exhibition, dance artist Tanya Voges worked with cinematic techniques and the program Isadora to develop an interactive experimental projection installation. Dance Australia asked Tanya about her new work and the appeal of presenting work in this type of space. This is her artist statement below.
Tanya Voges' work With/In illustrates the relationship of the body to space, between the bodies of performer and witness, and to itself as a kinaesthetic exploration. The interplay of the projected figure within the installation and architecture invites the viewer to consider their own sense of physicality as they are moved with and in the space. With/in is a study informed by movement scores demonstrating elements of contemporary dance linage. Unlike viewing an ephemeral performance, With/In offers an interactive glimpse into my signature choreographic process and only exists with the presence of the audience.
In making works for gallery, stage and site-specific performances, I'm interested in the audience experience and the ephemerality of dance, so I've explored many ways to capture the trace of the dance or involve the audience through interactive modalities. Until now I haven't had access to such sophisticated technology, taking a make-do approach. So, in creating With/In I was able to elevate my practice to work with different interfaces and create a really large-scale installation with dual-channel video, part of which is only operating because of the audience moving around the installation. It’s exciting to see audience members, or gallery visitors as I probably should call them, interact with the installation.
My projection is actually on a large installation made of frosted perspex specifically for projecting on and is visible to the audience members from various angles as they walk in and around the installation. Whether they notice the way they affect the work or that the work affects their sense of self in the space, I won’t really know. But it is a unique experience for each person as the combination of the two projections are never the same.
As a dance artist, it’s been an enriching experience to witness others interacting with my work, as usually, even in gallery spaces, I’m performing live.
Make|Shift is open weekdays 10am – 4pm and two weekends 15th and 16th of July, as well as the 22nd and 23rd of July, from 4.30pm – 7pm as part of Illuminate Festival Adelaide. The Mill is located at 154 Angas Street, Adelaide. Tanya Voges will be part of the final Artist Forum on July 28th at 12pm at The Mill and streamed online. For more information and to book for the in-person forum go to: www.themilladelaide.com/events/2022/expand-make-shift-exhibition