Temperance Hall offers two Resident Artist positions annually to Australian choreographers or artists working in performance and interdisciplinary fields of practice.
Our second Resident Artist for 2019 is highly acclaimed Melbourne-based choreographer and dancer Deanne Butterworth.
Deanne will spend her residency researching and developing two distinct yet connected ideas: further developing her work FURNITURE, and researching the history of the musical piece, Vexations. FURNITURE was originally presented as solo work at Gertrude Contemporary in 2018 and will be reworked for a group of dancers. FURNITURE utilises two works by Erik Satie as a starting point: a recording of Furniture Music, and a discussion from 1960s TV about a performance of his work, Vexations. Deanne's research into Satie’s work Vexations will culminate in one-off event.
Deanne’s development will result in a public performance later in 2019 – to receive information about this as it’s announced, subscribe to Temperance Hall’s e-news.
Artist statement – Deanne Butterworth:
“Concerns with the ephemeral nature of the dance and the challenges it faces when presenting it in the gallery setting have led me to using these works by Satie as a point of departure. Who comes, who watches, for how long, do they care, what do they think, and how do they position one work alongside the next work, are questions I investigate.
Furniture Music by Satie was he first ambient music - designed to be background music. In my use of the Satie works I am attempting to invert this so dance is at the forefront. For how long can an audience watch my ‘furniture’? With a constant fascination and urge to keep working with the body, FURNITURE considers the economy in which dance is produced, how it is supported, what images are remembered and forgotten.
I want this residency to dismantle my practice. I will invite in multiple provocateurs to upset, question, listen, and make fun of my ideas. I don’t want it to be easy. I will create multiple ‘somethings’ involving a community of artists from dance and other disciplines. I want it to be hot, sweaty, and loud – this is what I feel working from a place where I am confused about how to continue working in dance with the resources I have. What is clear is that it will be based in the body’s ongoing physical enquiries.”
Temperance Hall Resident Artists receive up to 100 hours of in-kind space to help develop their artistic ideas and practice, ongoing mentoring support from the Artistic Director and Executive Producer, office space and facilities, and we also encourage the resident artist to join the company’s Artistic Subcommittee (a branch of the Phillip Adams BalletLab Board).
Deanne Butterworth is a Melbourne-based choreographer and dancer who has been working professionally since 1994. From July 2017-July 2019 she is a studio artist at Gertrude Contemporary. Her practice is informed by the dynamics of how people work together with their bodies while accessing different energies and memories, often in relation to the space they occupy. Deanne’s work has been shown for Next Wave Festival, NGV Melbourne Now, Dancehouse, Lucy Guerin Inc. Pieces for Small Spaces, Melbourne Fringe, Dance New Amsterdam (NYC), Hong Kong Fringe Club (with Jo Lloyd), PAF France, West Space and more.
She has worked with choreographers Phillip Adams, Tim Darbyshire, Rebecca Jensen, Shelley Lasica, Shian Law, Jo Lloyd, Sandra Parker and Brooke Stamp amongst others.
Recent works include: Double Double, by Jo Lloyd & Deanne Butterworth, Potter Museum of Art (2019); FURNITURE, Gertrude Contemporary (2018); Remaking Dubbing, Gertrude Glasshouse (2018); Tempo Rubato, solo work for the Humana Botanica exhibition (2018), choreographer and performer for Linda Tegg’s Ground video work for Venice Architecture Biennale shot at Featherson House (2018); Gret, For a Moment, video, Gertrude Contemporary (2017); Re-enactment as Artist-in-Residence at Boyd Studio Southbank (2016), Interlude, Spring 1883 at Hotel Windsor (2016), Two Parts of Easy Action, The Substation (2016).
She has performed in the work of other artists including Belle Bassin, Damiano Bertoli, Bridie Lunney, David Rosetzky, Linda Tegg and Justene Williams. Recent collaborative works and work for others include Garden Dance (2019) Royal Botanic Gardens, CUTOUT at ACCA and Overture at Arts House, by Jo Lloyd (2018); Replay by Eszter Salamon for Keir Choreographic Award Public Program (2018); The Body Appears, performance in video for musician Evelyn Ida Morris (2018); Behaviour Part 7 by Shelley Lasica (2018); Vanishing Point by Shian Law, Dance Massive 2017; All Our Dreams Come True (with Jo Lloyd), Bus Projects Melbourne (2016) & MPavilion (2018); How Choreography Works, (created between Shelley Lasica, Jo Lloyd, Deanne Butterworth) West Space (2015) & Art Gallery NSW for 20th Biennale of Sydney (2016); Regarding Yesterday by Adva Zakai, Slopes, Melbourne (2014); Solos for other People by Shelley Lasica, Dance Massive, Melbourne (2015); and Intermission by Maria Hassabi ACCA (2014).
Feature image: Two Parts of Easy Action, Deanne Butterworth (2016). Image above: Twinships at West Space, Deanne Butterworth (2012). Images courtesy of Deanne Butterworth.