‘Turning a House Inside Out (Jalousie)’, performance, duration 20 minutes approx,
2017-18. Performer: Alice Gale-Feeny
Made during a residnecy at Béton Caverne, Rennes, France.
‘Turning a House Inside Out (Jalousie)’ was a series of improvisations within ex-suburban house, now artist-led gallery, Béton Caverne (translating as ‘Concrete Cave’).
The practice considered what an body-led encounter with an architecture may expose about the nature of the space and of the body moving through it, and how to translate such encounters using voice and movement to a public/group within the context of a French speaking country.
The work draws on the movement form contact improvisation. The form places attention on the giving and receiving of weight whilst in contact, is not reliant on a choreographic score but is sustained by the shared attention between the partners meeting together. This technique is adopted at points within the performance practice between the performer and the materials that make up the space of her environment, rather than another body.
The work includes a dialogue that switches between English (the performer’s native language) and French (the language of the majority of her audience).
The novel ‘La Jalousie’ (1957) by French writer Alain Robbe-Grillet is a key point of reference for the work. The word ‘Jalousie’ in English, exists in its own right and refers to a window blind or a shutter, however the term Jalousie when translated between French and English means Jealousy. The doubling of meaning that happens throughout the novel, as well as the strong connection made between character dynamics and the physical qualities of the house within the narrative, is a reference point for the work.
The work was made during a residency at Béton Caverne, Rennes, France on the invitation of Émeric Hauchard-Kim and Gaspard Janots.
The wall-based and fabric artworks seen within the photographs/video documentation are by Romain Bobichon.
Photographs: Gaspard Janots and Alice Gale-Feeny