When Body of Work by Atlanta Eke was first presented back in 2014, I remember with clarity how striking it was, in collaboration with video artists RDYSTDY and composer Daniel Jenatsch. As an interrogation of the digital realm colliding with the physical and choreographed, it was original and fresh.
Now, nine years on, does it still pack such a mighty punch?
The answer is yes and no. Both Body of Work and QWERTY, billed here as a sequel ‘of sorts’, are now not so much riveting as they are a slow meditation on a theme – one we have seen meditated upon so often in recent times.
Maybe this was the intention all along. But, after two years in lockdown in which performers had to resort to presenting work through Zoom and other online platforms, it all came across as either exhausted or exhausting.
In a performance that worked with multiple cameras, projectors and time delay, there were still some good bits to be found here. Both works shone brightest when they were not taking themselves too seriously. Indeed, the humour was enough to elicit some deep belly laughs from the audience.
Similarly, the sound design, a mash-up of sound bites, cassette tape scribbles, brass and strings were – to a point – affecting, but failed to create any real emotional dexterity.
The program was presented at Darebin Arts Centre, a venue that exudes a certain suburban dagginess and nostalgia – the kind that both these works somehow felt as if they were leaning into.
Read: Opera review: Melbourne, Cheremushki, Arts Centre Melbourne
This aside, QWERTY in particular, lacked much of the warmth that normally accompanies the work of this fine performer. The use of scrim further distanced the performance from its audience. As far as being a sequel – a serious question as to if and even why a sequel was warranted remains.
No longer can we view works that are so reliant on technology as being ground-breaking. Today, the artist needs to push further. The strength in these works was found only in the sum of their parts. Had only the choreographed physicality been presented I doubt either work would have warranted a review.
If both works together had been even just 20 minutes shorter and presented without an interval, then the resulting experience may have been far more engaging.
Body of Work + QWERTY
Darebin Arts Centre, Preston
Choreographer and Performer:Â Atlanta EkeÂ
Video Artists Projection Design:Â RDYSTDY Hana Miller and Jacob PerkinsÂ
Music Composition:Â Daniel JenatschÂ
Lighting Design:Â Matthew AdeyÂ
A Body of Work + Qwerty was performed from 23-25 March 2023 as part of FRAME biennial of dance.
