Photo by A.L. Steiner
In this new performance, incorporating live performance and video, the familiar process of assembling and taking apart 12 camping tents turns into a playful exploration of craft in relation to choreography and (intelligent?) design. Taking inspiration from Jacques Rivette’s 1974 film Celine and Julie go Boating, the performance investigates natural versus staged states of being, the fluid nature of perception, and the interplay between viewing and participating. The members of robbinschilds engage throughout the work in an opaque meta-dialogue about the making of “something,” left intentionally unexplained, providing a space for multiple interpretations.
Performed and choreographed by Rebecca Brooks, Layla Childs, Michael Helland, Sonya Robbins, Colin Stilwell and Sarah White.
Lighting design by Carrie Woods.
Cinematography by A.L. Steiner, Robin Placet and Raphael Wertheimer.
Video editing by Hedia Maron and robbinschilds.
"Like a terpsichorean Thelma and Louise, these dancers are on a journey, progressing through various American landscapes. The results are often sharp and witty, and sometimes unexpectedly tender." — Holland Carter, New York Time
"streamlined and funny and strange" — Claudia LaRocca, ArtForum
About the Artists
The performance duo robbinschilds (movement artists Sonya Robbins and Layla Childs) is known for highly visual works that explore the intersection between architecture, human movement, and perspective.