Review by Kate Gaul
Lucy Guerin choreographs this compelling piece and it is presented as part of the 2025 Adelaide Festival. Two dancers, Amber McCartney and Geoffrey Watson perform over 50 minutes. On a white set and dressed in vibrant colours they traverse a narrow path (lit by Paul Lim), in and out of sync, in conflict and in harmony, moving through fragmented terrain. In an attempt to interrupt the acceleration of our times and pause the relentless scrolling of their thoughts, they resort to a single desperate action. A fibre glass orb hangs in the space. The first 30 minutes is focussed towards an inevitable and delicious act. The thumping sound track wracks our bodies and the work is hypnotic. What the orb is exactly is ambiguous – the earth, the moon, an idea?
The actions can be read as repeatedly toppling the Earth’s stability, having failed to read the warning signs of megafires, thawing permafrost, and the death of coral reefs, driving us to the point of no return. This is explosive, athletic dance.
Lucy Guerin has said “through the process of making the work this emphatic act revealed other concerns around extreme actions and their outcomes: destruction in the name of ideology, and what is left after that action takes place. I recognise doubt as a very important aspect of being human and an artist, but I was struggling to find that sweet spot between questions and conviction where we can move forward. So the work grew from a personal feeling of unease into a reflection on the state of the human condition and our desire to take action to create something better.”
The second half of the piece is smooth and unregimented. The hi vis costumes come off. A man sweeps the mess, a woman rolls in it. Renewal or further destruction? Intrigue heightens. In the story I am reading this could be the time for new connection between the two but in fact everything becomes more fragmented including the human relationship. Without a common goal the two drift apart. They become antagonists. The entire scenario takes on a dream like quality and the image of McCartney feeling her way along the white cyc that backs the performance space was very beautiful. The piece takes a macabre turn – in a scene involving an animal mask – which further discombobulates anyone looking for a single narrative. Ambivalent. Disturbing. I am pleased to have seen it.
