Transformative Cinedance

Fire and Water Ceremony

Text & Images © Lila Moore, 2014

In a forthcoming online European academic conference (with the conference programme to be published shortly), I'll be presenting my views on cinedance as a transformative and ritualistic art form. I regard cinedance as a form of filmic dance, though it encompasses video and new media technology. I use the terms cinema and film as I rather maintain the aesthetic and conceptual origins, and the historical context of the art form that synthesises and mediates movement and screen technology. My perception of movement is also unlimited in its possibilities and not confined to dance. However, I maintain the link to dance due to the underlying connection with principles of choreography, which are shared by film-makers, dancers and choreographers. 

This winter, many parts of the world were affected by extreme weather conditions. It was impossible to ignore the movement of water in its many forms, from floods to storms and spectacular ice formations. It is particularly hard to ignore nature when harsh weather affects one's local environment, home, body metabolism and state of mind. But, how do images of floods and storms impact the distant viewer both detached  from, and engaged with, the elements on screen? As the screen mediate between the viewers (us) and the world, are we simply becoming more distant and alienated from nature, and the world which is out there, or do we wish to engage with it more, and if so, in what ways?.  Are images of beautiful sunsets enough to satisfy a psychological need to connect with the environment, or do they just blind the viewers from seeing beyond and around the radiating sphere?

Gaia – Mysterious Rhythms, the dance-ritual film which I made as part of my PhD in Dance on Screen, depicts an environment which no longer exists. Within a decade, the environment has changed in a radical way, not only as a result of powerful winter storms but mainly as a result of damaging human activity. The photographic collection of the Gaia project includes many images which I still work with, but I am conscious of the fact that I interact with visual depictions of an environment which is no longer available in a physical way. As a result, I no longer manipulate the visual images of a known reality but of its remaining ghosts. Although the connection with the 'real' is lost forever, what remains is, nevertheless, an intriguing exploration of the ways the elements of nature are being mediated through screen technology in the framework of cinedance, which also mediate movement in space and time as it is removed from its temporal and live contexts.

I am currently exploring how images of natural elements are being mediated through screen technology within a ritualistic form of cinedance. Aspects of this research are mentioned in my previous blog posts and other recent research papers. In my own practice, I isolate the elements and re-introduce them as ritualistic, visual and kinesthetic experiences.

 The need to isolate the elements and focus on movements within a restricted space emerged not only as a result of my ongoing interest in moving forms and textures, which is described in my PhD thesis, but also as a result of environmental conditions. My walks in nature along the seaside where I spent half of the year became a struggle to find clean or non-polluted spots. Wherever I turn, I could see garbage lying around and the marks of human activity which clearly disregards its natural space. It appears as if everything which is external to the individual has become a legitimate scene for violation and pollution. To avoid filming images of garbage, which are rather monotonous, I searched for isolated spots where the motion of the elements grabbed my attention. However, I have been aware of avoiding the entire scene not only because it wasn't 'beautiful' but because garbage was not part of the exploration. Still, the garbage in, and the pollution of, the environment affected the visual style of my recent work and my conceptual realisation. It became relevant to bring the elements closer to the body and consciousness of the viewer through the mediation of screen technology and give them a ritualised form or/and framework. The embodiment of the elements even through the mediation of technology is a way to bring them into the mental and physical sphere where they no longer 'naturally' belong.