Intimacy in the age of COVID-19.
Commissioned in response to If I die, please delete my Soundcloud by Natasha Matila-Smith, LSdlr was a durational performance of still dance. Based in a pink room upon a circular dais, this piece alluded to Matila-Smith’s video of a bedridden figure surrounded by confessional text. Named after Michel Fokine’s 1911 ballet, Le Spectre de la rose, LSdlr addressed a fantasy of nearness in a (socially) distant world—augmenting Matila-Smith's languorous, romantic atmosphere by embodying her digital presence. Performed mid-COVID-19 as part of the NGV's Triennial EXTRA festival, LSdlr facilitated an intimate situation between the artist and the audience. Held upon a pink sheet and heart-shaped pillow for two hours, audience members were invited to 'big spoon' Hamish while social distancing, with this echoing Matila-Smith's own critique of our 'failures' to connect.
Commissioned By: NGV w/ the University of Melbourne | Season: January-February 2021, NGV International, Melbourne | Performer: Hamish McIntosh
C. Tim Carrafa courtesy of NGV, 2021
C. Tim Carrafa courtesy of NGV, 2021
C. Tim Carrafa courtesy of NGV, 2021
C. Carol Brown, 2021
C. Tim Carrafa courtesy of NGV, 2021
