Images by Emily Williams
Josh Pether and I were the only WA artists in Adhocracy 2022 - a unique interdisciplinary event by Vitalstatistix where exciting new performance work is incubated, presented and discussed in its early stages.
With Josh on Noongar country in Boorloo (Perth) and me on Kaurna country (Port Adelaide) we developed a way to continue our creative ritual and performance practice from a distance.
Our project, Undoing Kingdoms, utilised ‘out of sight’ and ‘out of time’ approaches. Josh and I attempted to share the deep energetic and poetic revelation of our movement ritual by undertaking it at the same time in different cities. We also experimented with video, projection, found objects and text dialogue via email. Our process featured a radical regard for silence, listening, and alone-ness in relation to decolonisation and visibility.
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Daisy Sanders
Warm thanks to Emma Webb and the Vitalstatistix team.
Special mention to Emma O’Neill and Tim Webb for generous production assistance, and to Isobel Moore and Jennifer Mills for invaluable dialogue and support.
Read Jennifer Mills' full review for Art Link.
"For Daisy Sanders and Joshua Pether, mutual care takes priority. Both artists live with chronic pain and disability. At Adhocracy, this means working remotely, with Sanders on site at Harts Mill and Pether collaborating via video feed. ‘My dance practice is grounded in rest and deep knowledge of the nervous system,’ says Sanders, who spent years recovering from ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). ‘Being a dancer allowed me to get well; it became my work.’ Sanders’ practice is built on work/rest cycles; for many, she says, these cycles look more like hyperactivity/burnout. ‘The world wants us to move faster than our bodies.’
Undoing Kingdoms creates a reverent atmosphere. As Sanders moves in the dimly lit space, Pether’s projection moves behind, beside, and sometimes with her. As part of the showings, audiences engage in reflective discussion; ritual practice becomes a way to build community."