On 24 March, Studio West hosted a unique night of ballet performance in collaboration with Portobello Dance Co. to launch their newest exhibition Karolina Albricht’s “16 Branches High.” The two dancers, Anna Daly and Stanley Young, choreographed and performed a new piece that attempted to translate Albricht’s work through movement.
The title of the exhibition “16 Branches High” comes from a song lyric by Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s “Spinning Song.” Letting the melody and beat inspire her, Albritch frequently works to curated playlists and music, letting the movement of the rhythm guide her as she creates textured, three dimensional pieces that escape the comforts of convention.
For this exhibition, Albritch pasted the titular lyrics on the walls of her studio, allowing the writing on the wall to oversee her process. Albritch begins by recycling leftovers from her studio, using a combination of materials to create texture. Shredded jute becomes hair and dried paint fragments are given a new purpose. Grit, sand, pumice and other materials add the finishing touches.
Stanley Young from the Portobello Dance School ascribes Albritch’s use of texture as the reason for the ease in which Portobello Dance School was able to translate the exhibition into ballet.
“Choreography, by nature, is very similar to painting.” Young said. “They share a compositional and visual quality. Karolina’s paintings are actually a very good stimulus for choreography because the physicality and texture of the work is both striking visually and powerful emotionally. Therefore, recreating this through movement isn’t too challenging, it is a matter of transferring abstract shapes from canvas to bodies.”
One piece of dance for example was choreographed from Albritch’s work “Downside Up.” The very title of the painting gave the dance team a starting point to bring Albritch’s painting to life. After creating a rough outline of appropriate movement, Young and Daly generated the final ballet piece.
The collaboration between the Studio West gallery and the Portobello Dance Co. furthers the studio’s desire to bring together the local community through diverse art forms. “16 Branches High” will be on display from 11 March- 8 April. For more information, visit https://studiowest.art/exhibitions/12-16-branches-high-karolina-albricht/.