A tragedy separated by at least 1.5 metres, Flux Job is the new dance work by Lucy Guerin Inc, premiering at Arts House this March.
Created during the Melbourne lockdowns, the making of Flux Job was disrupted and extended, with short bursts of activity interspersed with long periods of postponement. The passing of time felt different as whole days and months seemed lost in a single moment, yet an afternoon could stretch on without end.
Guerin explains that isolation and restrictions have changed our perspectives, “As this worldshattering event developed around us and the days rolled by, we became dulled and hypersensitised, free-floating yet locked into routine,” she said.
“We wanted to be together but were confronted by separation and a shrinking into ourselves,” said Guerin.
Against the backdrop of a devastating event, four dancers share personal experiences that ask the question: who are we when we’re on our own, and who are we with others?
As a cinematic experience with edits and close ups, slow motion and climaxes, Flux Job uses both choreography and scripted word to show how different modes of communication convey meaning.
Guerin has collaborated with celebrated theatre-maker Adena Jacobs to create a work that shifts between the layered, fluctuating language of movement and the more everyday realm of words with finite meanings.
A story of constant change, vastness and minutiae, Flux Job engages with the danger of proximity and the loneliness of separation in a heightened world.
Arts House Artistic Director, Emily Sexton says it’s exciting to see Lucy Guerin collaborate with Adena Jacobs, “Flux Job is a beautiful, rousing and gothic work that sees exceptional performers sharing some very personal and intriguing stories about isolation and connection,” said Sexton.
Choreographer: Lucy Guerin with the dancers | Dancers: Amber McCartney, Geoffrey Watson, Lilian Steiner, Tra Mi Dinh | Understudy: Georgia Rudd | Lighting Designer: Paul Lim | Composer: Jethro Woodward | Costume Designer: Andrew Treloar | Dramaturg: Adena Jacobs | Production Manager: Bao Ngouansavanh (Back to Back Theatre) | Stage Manager: Zsuzsa Gaynor Mihaly | Producer: Estelle Conley | Executive Producer: Brendan O’Connell
Flux Job by Lucy Guerin Inc
Arts House – North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Season: 16 – 20 March 2022
Information and Bookings: www.artshouse.com.au
Image: Lucy Guerin Inc presents Flux Job – photo by Gregory Lorenzutti