|
CLAn the set
Commentary by Peter England,
Set Designer
Unaipon
"The guy on the 50 dollar note" -
that was how I was first introduced to David Unaipon, and it seems
to be the common point of reference when introducing the inspiration
for this show to most people. The formally dressed, snowy haired
man, with gentle face and wise penetrating eyes, smiling out confidently
and knowingly from a plastic piece of currency. Closer inspection
of the design of this bill starts to reveal something of the man
- a scientific looking drawing, a small Christian church
and a hand-written quote; "As a full-blooded member of my
race I think I may claim to be the first - but I hope, not
the last - to produce an enduring record of our customs,
beliefs and imaginings".
The Show's first image is a painted abstraction
of this $50 note* - I have taken particular elements of
its design and enlarged, distorted or exaggerated them. I want
the painting to begin to deconstruct the recognisable graphics
of a piece of money so we might begin to reconstruct an essence
of the man himself. His right eye stares out at us in massive
isolation from the centre of the painting. A spiral swirls from
its centre. His immaculate neck tie is off to the right under
a scratched out number "50". The word Australia vibrates
and stammers down the left margin.
As light comes up behind the painted cloth we
begin to see through to a man floating across the stage. I want
to leave behind the first knowledge of David Unaipon as "the
guy on the 50 dollar note" and go on a journey with the
dancers, the music, and the stories Frances Rings has told me.
Stories of weaving seem to resonate with David Unaipon's
life. Women cocooned in red woven mats claim the space, men draw
out string lines and create 'webs' that cut across
it - these are the beginnings, the threads of a life.
Reading and researching David Unaipon exposes
a truly extraordinary and inspirational renaissance man with a
rich traditional and western education; a spiritual man who was
able to open his heart to both Indigenous and Christian beliefs,
a musician, a scientist, a philosopher and a dreamer. A man who
crossed racial, religious, and intellectual boundaries -
and yet who was bound by the prevailing ignorance of a society
obsessed with discrimination - of "drawing the line"
and dividing. But in spite of this David Unaipon maintained all
dignity and integrity in every one of his many pursuits -
in essence he maintained his dreams and crossed all divisions.
Like a giant laboratory light, a beam of illumination
rises to reveal a glowing white strip which divides our stage
in half. A boundary of light is created. Dancers cross the "boundary",
some move up and down it, others ignore it altogether. A sense
of scientific measure, ideological division, and questions of
order and chaos are posed.
The final image seeks to send our imagination
into the realms of the eternal and of dreams. This is a place
where David Unaipon seemed very at home. A life-long fascination
with perpetual motion, combined with a searching passion for the
spiritual, inspires ideas about the great poetry of his life.
A field of "stars" inhabited by a myriad of symbols
and abstractions, all interwoven with lines of measure and proportion,
floating illuminated in a sea of black... A universe of possibilities.
Thanks to Brian Sadgrove for kind permission
to reproduce parts of his design for the Australian 50 dollar
note.
Rations
"In Rations Fran is looking
at a period in Australian history where western culture set out,
quite aggressively, to usurp traditional culture. This was done
by providing little tidbits of processed shelter, food, and even
religion in exchange for a denial of 'old ways'. The
piece looks at how, despite the apparent dependence on those rations,
there was always a constant connection to, and survival of, a
much more ancient spirit.
The set is very simple. It's in an empty black
space which allows the audience to imagine locations and predicaments
in quite a surreal way. We start off with a ring suspended in
the space - the ring represents a meeting place, a centre,
a sense of a heart, a spiritual contact, an idea that hovers above
their day to day existence. The ring is made of raw and natural
materials, it has a hand made feel. Then in contrast to this metaphorical
piece, we introduce literal ration elements - flour bags,
blankets and galvanised iron sheets. There is a fine balance between
these objects supplying instruction vs the dancers instructing
the objects. I think the latter is more interesting from a design
point of view. All of these elements are there for a story telling
and dance purpose rather than any old fashioned notion of scenery
or decoration."
Photo Danielle Lyonne
back to top
|
 |
