Ad Infinitum Hart for dancing

Infinitum.

By Alana Mitchelson

A COCKATOO dancer’s new arts collaboration explores the aural and textural relationships between space, the human condition and the environment.
Award-winning dancer Gareth Hart has teamed up with sound designer Roderick Price to create a live dance and sound project, Infinitum.
From a 10-minute outdoor dance tour as part of PAVE Festival in Emerald, to the stage of a TEDx conference in St Kilda in June, Infinitum has now developed a full-length work to be showcased during Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Mr Hart said the pair had developed an interest in one another’s work for some time, and began jamming in the studio earlier this year.
“We found ourselves needing an excuse to collaborate. We’re all used to navigating our physical relationship to space, so our work is looking at how we map our aural relationship with space,” he said.
“Our Fringe performance is a 35-minute walking tour down backstreets, alleyways and expansive car parks that maps our aural and sensory relationships with the urban environment, creating live dance based upon the sounds captured by highly sensitive microphones.
“The mics pick up the sounds of my dancing and these sounds are mixed, distorted and manipulated into a live sound score.
“We have our journey set out – in a way – but the whole thing is an improvisation so that it’s a much more responsive experience.”
Mr Hart’s personal work has led him to tour extensively across the country to venues such as the National Gallery of Australia and TarraWarra Museum of Art.
His seminal performance work Ellipsis was nominated for an Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Contribution to Independent Dance in 2013, and all three of his most recent works – Ellipsis, Symphony of Strange and Excavate – were nominated for Best Dance at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, with Excavate taking home the coveted Best Dance award.
Meanwhile, Mr Price has composed works for choreography, film, installation and live audio performance. His works have featured at arts festivals both locally and internationally.
Mr Hart said Infinitum planned to take its project interstate next year to reach a wider audience.
Infinitum will perform at 6.30pm (5.30pm on Sunday) from 16 to 23 September (no Monday show) at the main stairs of the Fringe Hub, North Melbourne Town Hall.
For more information, visit www.garethhart.net or soundcloud.com/amnion.

Concrete dancing rhythm steps