Overview
"The Expedition Series” is a performance series that investigate the dynamics of human relationship using the natural surrounding (desert, wind, forest, city, Ice, etc.) as a both a trigger and a metaphor of life it self. Inspired by Bruce Chatwin’s Songlines “The Expedition Series” aims at unlocking the story of the “Land” drawing a symbolic line were both aboriginal and non-aboriginal experiences are weaved together as a common “songline”. “The Expedition Series ” takes place in the challenging Australian outback. The journey begins at sunrise with two performers facing one another both carrying minimal camping gear and a large backpack of raw wool.
At a set time the two began walking backwards away form each other soon losing sight of one another. As they walk apart, they braid the wool mixed with dray brush, bones, stones or whatever available to build a solid rope.
This rope is the safety line that connects the two performers and preserve them form losing each-other. At sunset, when no wool is left, both performers stop to set-up camp for the night away form each-other. The next morning, the two performers search for one another by winding back the rope, retracing their steps, walking into a different yet parallel path finally converging with one-another into a “new center” located in a different time and space. The performance ends when the rope is fully coiled and the two performers finally find each-other. In this symbolic voyage to find one another the two performers needs to negotiate with inhospitable surroundings. The distance that separates them is also the distance needed to build the solid rope which connects them and guides them through the landscape. This distance/space symbolize the distance/time one needs in life to define and grow his/her own self . Similarly in the voyage of life we acquire knowledge by fully exposing our self to uncharted territories. This at time distancing ourselves from our roots and love ones only to facilitate the strengthening our being and or ultimate return. This process of experiencing, living and growing thought life as a physical and spiritual journey is at the core of aborigines tradition. Being a nomad child of our contemporary, the “walk about” philosophy resonate with my life path. I therefore see “The Expedition Series’ birthing in Australia as a dialog between an aboriginal artist and my self.
A converging of lines were personal experience merges with the history and tradition written into the Australian landscape.
A merging lines and paths that starts by the understanding the land and the couture, collaborating with local and aborigine communities to learn about the land, to lessen to the land, and finally to travel the land. “Expedition #1” is the first of a series of location based performance each time enacted by the same people in a different couture, location and terrain. Here the landscape is both the vehicle and theater of the experience. Each time the performance is enacted in a new location, it triggers new physical, visual and emotional challenges captured into cinematic and photographic “Emotional Landscapes” through high definition video, medium/large format photographs edited together into a visual journey. The final work will resolve into a combination of video installation, a video art paces, drawings, writing and photographs each collection representative of a different experience/location. The first “Exploration Series” is set to take place at Broken Hill and Fowlers Gap in collaboration with Land International Research Initiative (ILIRI) and Broken Hill Art Exchange.
