A BESTIARY OF UNIMAGINABLE ANIMALS
[March 2023, FRAME Biennial of Dance]
A Bestiary of Unimaginable Animals is an experimental choreographic as well as visual work for three dancers and a congregation of beasts, created by Nana Biluš Abaffy for Melbourne's iconic Temperance Hall, as part of the inaugural FRAME Biennial of Dance.
Inspired by the medieval bestiarium, which was an elaborately illustrated compendium of both real and unreal animals, minerals and other forms of life, the work sets into motion a kaleidoscopic world of motley menageries and as yet unrealised environments.
In pursuit of untouchable utopias, which we try to touch, and imperceptible animating forces, which we can’t resist, A Bestiary of Unimaginable Animals plays with a self-organising animality as it moves through a fragile habitat that we know can shift or break at any moment.
Unfolding over four days, this newly commissioned work invites audiences to step into a bestiary of the unimaginable.
Choreography and Visual Design: Nana Biluš Abaffy
Performers: Nana Biluš Abaffy, Geoffrey Watson, Rachael Wisby
Composition: Peter Poston
Costumes: Olga Makeeva (costume construction), Geoffrey Watson (headpiece construction)
Set construction: Nasim Patel, assisted by Yuiko Masukawa & Derrick Duan
Production Manager: Jordi Edwards
Producer: Anna McDermott
Executive Producer: William McBride
This project has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts; the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria; City of Port Phillip through the Cultural Development Fund; Temperance Hall & FRAME Biennial of Dance.
"Abaffy’s works often look like choreographed chaos, [...] with the obvious undercurrent of animalistic energy, her style impresses. [...] The movement is at once subtle and wild; impotent and alluring. Motifs of flapping wings and guttural groans situate us deep within an imaginary zoo, where the fleshy bodies both embody and beckon bestial spirits."
- Dance Australia
[March 2023, FRAME Biennial of Dance]
A Bestiary of Unimaginable Animals is an experimental choreographic as well as visual work for three dancers and a congregation of beasts, created by Nana Biluš Abaffy for Melbourne's iconic Temperance Hall, as part of the inaugural FRAME Biennial of Dance.
Inspired by the medieval bestiarium, which was an elaborately illustrated compendium of both real and unreal animals, minerals and other forms of life, the work sets into motion a kaleidoscopic world of motley menageries and as yet unrealised environments.
In pursuit of untouchable utopias, which we try to touch, and imperceptible animating forces, which we can’t resist, A Bestiary of Unimaginable Animals plays with a self-organising animality as it moves through a fragile habitat that we know can shift or break at any moment.
Unfolding over four days, this newly commissioned work invites audiences to step into a bestiary of the unimaginable.
Choreography and Visual Design: Nana Biluš Abaffy
Performers: Nana Biluš Abaffy, Geoffrey Watson, Rachael Wisby
Composition: Peter Poston
Costumes: Olga Makeeva (costume construction), Geoffrey Watson (headpiece construction)
Set construction: Nasim Patel, assisted by Yuiko Masukawa & Derrick Duan
Production Manager: Jordi Edwards
Producer: Anna McDermott
Executive Producer: William McBride
This project has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts; the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria; City of Port Phillip through the Cultural Development Fund; Temperance Hall & FRAME Biennial of Dance.
"Abaffy’s works often look like choreographed chaos, [...] with the obvious undercurrent of animalistic energy, her style impresses. [...] The movement is at once subtle and wild; impotent and alluring. Motifs of flapping wings and guttural groans situate us deep within an imaginary zoo, where the fleshy bodies both embody and beckon bestial spirits."
- Dance Australia
