Shadow Dance

About

This project further develops the artist's interest in psychological and physical blockages as Kai-Oi Jay Yung convert the gallery space into a dance studio/laboratory to focus on the intersections between psychology, movement and the body. Through a series of dance sessions with local dance professionals proficient in ballet and tap to Alexander technique, Yung will work closely with a small group of participants to consider choreographic and improvisatory skills linked to gesture and the psychological and physiological through the body. This continues to develops strands of themes explored in Yung's recent exhibition and performances Amongst Dark Trees, A Clearing, Grundy Art Gallery and Military Craft II, Golden Thread Gallery. ‘Facing out to College Lane, the windows of Gallery Three provide a looking glass to and from the shopping district of Liverpool One. This dialectal relationship between cultural and consumerist praxis is one of the most spatially intriguing features of the galleries at the Bluecoat. It is here that Kai-Oi Jay Yung transforms the static gallery environment into an experimental space for movement and dance. Over the duration of Portfolio NW, Yung will hold dance laboratories in the gallery with dancers and public participants. These activities do not discriminate against any genre of dance or skill level: participation, and a connection to our inner self, is actively sought. Weaving numerous disciplines, Yung's practice is fuelled by her desire to unravel complex cultural forms, challenging and engaging the viewer through physical and participatory works. Approaching Shadow Dance without any formal training in dance or movement, Yung will advance her engagement with psychological and physical blockages, exploring the junctures between psychology, movement and the body. As with her recent work, she will use her own body and mind as vehicles to absorb and propagate new interpretations of movement. Gestural movement is perhaps the most visceral and emotional bodily release, one that has a deep, primal connection with the inner self. It can be seen as a liberating experience, one that has the potential to lead to spontaneity and improvisation. Drawing on both choreographed and improvised gestural movement, Shadow Dance is influenced by participation by numerous actors: the Bluecoat as an institution, the professional dancers and the audience. Yet through participation and representation, these actors operate within Yung's wider interrogation of the structures of reality, becoming implicit in the rendering of new possibilities. Numerous visits will be required to see Shadow Dance develop.' The exhibition runs till 15 September 2013. See schedule and details via site.