An Extimate Surface

"When looking to make dance, we are not always conscious of the country or conditions underfoot that lead us through." - Amrita Hepi
An Extimate Surface, in collaboration with multi-disciplinary artist Amrita Hepi, transformed the Immigration Museum Long Room into a participatory dancefloor for the 2020 Summer of Dance program. Used as the host for a salon of performances, the project explored the interplay between physical objects in public space and the intent of those inhabiting and negotiating with them.
Positioned centrally in the Long Room, a large circular dancefloor formed the ground plane for a family of ramps that were designed to be pushed, pulled, jumped off, and traversed in any way by the dancers and the public alike.
The elements were bound by a continuous supergraphic that drew together the geographically distant topographies of Amrita’s cultural heritage; the Bundjulung, Australia and Ngapuhi, New Zealand; to produce a new hybridised place. This was intentionally vibrant in presence to diverge from the colonial interior of the museum.
Across the Summer of Dance season, the dancefloor was home to a suite of collaborative performances by artists including Shelley Lasica and Amrita Hepi, as well as community-focused dance events like Deep, Soulful Sweats.