Artistic Notes natural environment that we are born from. Thank You Arts House Presented by Arts House and Melanie Lane, The body has the potential to transform and as part of Dance Massive 2015 The ideas within Merge have culminated from merge with its environment, which seems only Melanie Lane would like to thank the following Arts House presents contemporary arts a practice I’ve been exploring over the last natural given the fact that we literally consume people for their support and contribution in programs encompassing performance, six years; the premise being an investigation our physical environment every day. towards the creation of Merge: all at Lucy festivals, live art, residencies and other questioning the physical relationship and Guerin Inc, Lily Paskas, Lilian Steiner, Paea activities that nurture, support and stimulate experience we encounter with the material We are mobile, wobbling sacks of meat. Easily Leach, Rachael Osborne, Paula Levis, Dian cultural engagement. We value work in world. I’m searching for vehicles for sculptural manipulated and equally manipulative. Merge McLeod, Chunky Move and Chris Clark. which artists at different stages of their was developed from these very primitive ideas, Melanie Lane performance, how collaborations between careers, as well as our diverse audiences and responding through the elements of body, disciplines can meet, and what language lies communities, are actively involved in creating sound and object. As a result, the dialogue at the intersection of these meetings. The an imaginative, just and environmentally previous works I’ve created on this theme have between all the elements in the space became sustainable global society. been predominantly very carefully composed a dynamic system, that eventually shaped and constructed, whereas with Merge I was the work into what you will see here at Dance Arts House’s programs include two curated Merge more interested in discovering the chaos, Massive. public seasons of multidisciplinary work each the danger and the absurdity that is inherent I am so thrilled to share my first Australian- year. Approximately half of this work is selected within this realm. made work here at Arts House for Dance through an Expression of Interest process. I was very much driven by how humans Massive. It’s a project that has spanned over We seek artists who are responding to the urgent issues of our time in imaginative and physically navigate ideas of material value, three years and has the footprints of many Arts House, Meat Market Creative Team accumulation and acceleration in our rapidly wonderful, generous artists and supporters. surprising ways, taking artistic risks and offering multiple ways for audiences to engage developing world. I like to see the body as Thanks for coming and enjoy the show! Wed 18 – Sun 22 March 2015 Choreographer Melanie Lane a sculptural vessel in itself – made up of with or co-author their work. Performers Antony Hamilton, Melanie Lane, so many delicious textures, it is a powerful Melanie Lane Ashley McLellan, Sophia Ndaba For more information, please contact us 50min, no interval example of how our bodies can reflect the Sound Composer Chris Clark on the details below. Merge has been supported by the Australian Government Lighting Designer through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and Matthew Adey – 521 Queensberry Street advisory body; Lucy Guerin Inc; Creative Victoria; and the City House of Vnholy North Melbourne VIC 3051 of Melbourne through Arts House. Prop & Visual Design Collaborators (03) 9322 3720 Bridie Lunney, Ash Keating artshouse.com.au Producer Jessica Morris Payne [email protected] melanielane.info artshouse.com.au Production Management Megafun – Richard Dinnen Artistic Collaborators Paea Leach, Lily Paskas, Rachael Osborne, Lilian Steiner Image Dian McLeod

artshousemelbourne @artshousemelb @artshouse Biographies Biographies

Melanie Lane During her time in Europe, Melanie Lane’s Antony Hamilton enabling her to participate and perform in Matthew Adey – House of Vnholy and Place of Assembly (Melbourne Festival, Choreographer/Performer practice included invitations to create a work Performer festivals across Europe and Asia. In 2015 Lighting Designer 2012). She teaches at Monash Art, Design for the Looping Project, a platform to support she joins Dancenorth as a dancer under the and Architecture, is the recipient of the John Born in Sydney, Melanie Lane graduated Antony Hamilton is a Melbourne-based Matthew Adey is a production designer new work from six emerging European artists; directorship of Kyle Page. Fries Award and the Substation Exhibition from WAAPA in 1999. In 2000 she travelled performer and choreographer. As a dancer, he and theatre artist from Melbourne. He to participate in Monsoon, an exchange Award 2014, and is a Gertrude Contemporary to Europe, working with companies and has worked with Chunky Move under Gideon Sophia Ndaba works under the moniker House of Vnholy between three European and three Indian Resident Artist for 2013–15. artists including Belgian dance company Obarzanek, Lucy Guerin Inc and Australian Performer (HOV), specialising in the creation of live artists; and to participate in The Village/ Dance Theatre. As a choreographer he has performance, set and lighting design, Ash Keating Arco Renz | Kobalt Works, Club Guy and Sophia Ndaba graduated from the McDonald Tanznacht, an exchange experiment with 25 created works for companies including Lyon installation and sculpture. HOV investigates Prop & Visual Design Collaborator Roni, Tino Sehgal and PVC. Since 2007 she College of Performing Arts (2006) and WAAPA choreographers. In 2014, she received Opera Ballet, Chunky Move, Australian Dance the distillation of the visual image, spatial has been artistic collaborator with Arco (2010). Her credits include Supermodern Visual artist Ash Keating has exhibited a co-production prize from HAU – Hebbel Theatre and Dancenorth. His own works and temporal relationships with a bold Renz | Kobalt Works for projects in Belgium, – Dance of Distraction (Anton); Un Ballo in extensively in galleries and created numerous am Ufer for her work, Igor – hush hush, and include Blazeblue Oneline, Drift, Black Project aesthetic approach and an open mind to Germany, Norway, Indonesia, Vietnam and Maschera (La Fura dels Baus/Opera Australia, large-scale, site-responsive art projects in was commissioned by Schauspiel Leipzig to 1 & 2 and MEETING. Notable commissions collaboration and experimentation across a the Philippines. 2013); Big Dance in Small Chunks (Dance Australia and internationally since 2004. create her work, Spacekraft. include Keep Everything for Chunky Move variety of disciplines. HOV’s collaborations Makers Collective); Happy as Larry, Am I In February 2015 he undertook a major and Black Project 3 for Lyon Opera Ballet. in dance include Shian Law’s Personal As a choreographer, Melanie Lane has and Trolleys (Shaun Parker and Company); ephemeral painting project in Adelaide Having relocated to Melbourne, Melanie He was inaugural recipient of the Russell Mythologies and Body Obscure Object, established a repertory of works, performing and Culminate (Force Majeure). She has also for the Contemporary Art Centre of South Lane continues to develop her work as Page Fellowship in 2004, the Tanja Liedtke Natalie Abbott’s MAXIMUM, Sarah Aiken’s in international festivals including Tanz collaborated on projects involving dance Australia, onto the glass windows of the well as conducting professional training, Fellowship in 2009, an Australia Council Three Short Pieces, Phantom Limb’s and im August, Uzes Danse Festival, Spring on film, including City Girl (Moth People), Adelaide Festival Centre. Other recent and both locally and abroad. She has been a Creative Australia Fellowship in 2012 and a Luke George’s TRTH+FNTSY, Jo Lloyd’s Dance (Sydney), Festival Antigel and Tanz WEBISODES (Dance Makers Collective) and notable projects have been undertaken with guest teacher for companies such as Carte Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship in 2014. He 24 Hour Noise and Helen Herbertson’s über Graben/HAU Berlin. Residencies Vivaldi’s Travelator (Virgin Australia/Australian institutions including RMIT University and Blanche Norway, Sasha Waltz and Guests, was also inaugural guest dance curator for the Bespoke. HOV recently received the VCA include Schauspiel Leipzig, Dock 11 Berlin, Chamber Orchestra). Peter Elliot Architects (2014), National Gallery Chunky Move, Bangarra Dance Theatre, PVC, National Gallery of Victoria’s Melbourne NOW Graduate Mentorship with BalletLab’s Phillip Tanzwerkstatt Berlin, O Espaço do Tempo of Victoria (2013/14), Mildura Palimpsest Tanztheater Bielefeld, Danish Dance Theatre program in 2013. Adams, for a new performance installation Montemor, Théâtre de Nîmes, Lucy Guerin Chris Clark Biennale (2013), Monash University Museum of and Nordwest/Tanzcompagnie Oldenburg. Sound Composer project, MONO-. Studios and Ausdance NSW. Ashley McLellan Art (2012), Gertrude Contemporary (2012) and As a performer, she has worked with Antony Performer London-born Chris Clark is signed to the Bridie Lunney Artsonje Centre, Seoul, Korea (2011). Hamilton on Black Project 1 and Drift; and is British indie label Records, for which Prop & Visual Design Collaborator Resident Director at Lucy Guerin Inc for 2015. Ashley McLellan graduated from WAAPA Ash Keating’s three-screen video artwork, he has released eight albums and numerous in 2010, where she was awarded the Dance Bridie Lunney’s practice acknowledges West Park Proposition, won the inaugural EPs/singles. He performs his music live and Theatre of WA Award (2008), the Leinster the body as a conduit between our Guirguis New Art Prize (2013) and his 2011 has toured clubs and festivals extensively Award for Dance (2008) and the Hawaiian emotional and psychological selves and video artwork, A New Lifelong Landscape, won throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Award (2010). For four years she performed the physical world. Performative and the 2012 Substation Contemporary Art Prize. USA. He began collaborating with Melanie with the West Australian Ballet under Ivan sculptural relationships suggest small Lane in 2008, and they have since worked Cavallari, as a member of the corps de ballet. rebellions in our prescribed choreography together on HELD, Tilted Fawn, Shrine, She later studied at Photography Studies of the urban environment and the poetic Spacekraft and . College in Melbourne. Merge mimicry of internal psychological spaces. In 2011 Chris Clark collaborated as sound Recent exhibitions include There is a way, As a freelance contemporary dancer, Ashley designer for location-based digital artists if we want, into everything (MAF project McLellan has worked with artists including Blast Theory in Suffolk (UK) and for Saatchi space for Gertrude Contemporary); The Graeme Murphy, Marcia Haydee, Youri Vamos, & Saatchi’s Cannes Lions New Directors place where the fire is kept (Phoenix foyer Petr Zuska, Garry Stewart, Nana Bilus Abaffy, Showcase. He has completed remixes for commission); There are these moments Tony Yap, Melanie Lane, Gregory Lorenzutti Massive Attack, and Battles (Gertrude Contemporary, 2014); Melbourne and Shaun Parker. She received the award and has composed for two Hollywood feature Now (National Gallery of Victoria); 30 for Outstanding Performance by a Female in films. He currently resides in Berlin, having Ways with Time and Space (Performance Melbourne’s Short and Sweet Festival, for her released his eighth studio album, Clark. Space); Propositions with Torie Nimmervoll self-choreographed solo, Other, and received (Gertrude Contemporary, 2013); an Australia Council Artstart Grant (2014),