negotiationofspace proposal, luxembourg - the aquarium, artist in residence

'the body remembers, the bones remember, the joints remember, even the little finger remembers. memory is lodged in pictures and feelings in the cells themselves. like a sponge filled with water, any where the flesh is pressed, wrung, even touched lightly, a memory may flow out in a stream.'
clarissa pinkola estes

for negotiationofspace the glass ‘aquarium’ at the casino luxembourg is a representation of that box in the brain labelled ‘memory’. we can share our memories with others but they are always contained within ourselves. this is mirrored by the structure of the aquarium - memories are explored and contained within the glass structure, but visible to those outside.

it is our belief that memory, in a sense, makes you who you are. consciously or consciously.

but what happens when you share your formative daily experiences with another, and the boundaries of your memories become blurred with someone else’s? when you can’t recognise yourself in photos? when you are not sure if you were really there or just experienced it through another?

negotiationofspace is the exploration of the nature of twins from the inside out. part of being a twin, for us, is this sharing memories, a merging of identity.

negotiationofspace proposes during the residency the aquarium becomes an exploration of boundaries, allowing the concept of memory – a shifting, intangible experience to be explored physically and visually, bringing it into reality.

although it is perhaps more extreme in the case of twins, the confusion of memory/memories is not unique to our situation - most people will be able to relate to this kind of sensation before, which is what we would like to play with.

the memory of our exploration will be left in the aquarium as an installation consisting of video/movement, images, text and objects intrinsically linked to/rich with memory, in our case childhood dresses

the presence of these bridesmaid dresses has been a recurring theme within our work to date. visually the sight of two adult twins in two identical children’s dresses provides a strong image. but it represents more than aesthetics, it is a physicalisation of a memory, a point in time preserved, and therefore a tool to enable the mapping of time. With this starting point we are able to explore who we are now, from what we were.

hannah is a dancer, and throughout the course of the residency will work physically with the ideas mentioned above, such as memory and the blurring of boundaries, taking inspiration from these concepts, as well as from the space and physical objects, such as the dresses.

the very act of producing and choreographing movement is an act of memory, therefore this process of creation will create an extra layer of exploration - through improvisation, structured work and choreographic devices new memories will emerge from old ones.

amy is not a dancer, but this project intends to blur the boundaries. by learning movement, and the manipulation of the ‘memory’ we leave behind in the installation, we intend to induce a sense of confusion for those who experience it.

amy is a photographer, and throughout the course of the residency will work visually with the ideas mentioned above, such as memory and the blurring of boundaries, taking inspiration from these concepts, as well as from the space and the physical objects, such as the dress.

the very act of capturing and producing images is an act of memory, therefore assists this exploration - through the recording of the creative process visually new memories will emerge from old ones.

hannah is not a photographer, but this project intends to blur the boundaries. by capturing images, and the manipulation of the ‘memory’ left in the installation after the residency the audience will be left with a feeling of confusion. who was who, and who did what?

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