Lay them all down

Video, color, sound, 33:31. Created by Dana Michel and Tracy Maurice. Premiered 5.9.–1.11.2020at The 11th Berlin Biennale. 

Selected Exhibitions 2021 -present: 

2022. Shedhalle Zürich in Protozone8 Queer Trust, Video Installation. (Zürich, Switzerland)
2022. Portal For(e) the Ephemeral Passage, Wexner Center for the Arts, At The Ohio State University. Video Installation. (Ohio)
2022. Dance! HAM Helsinki Art Museum. Video Installation. (Helsinki, FI)
2020. The 11th Berlin Biennale. Video Installation. (Berlin, DE) 

Dana Michel defies expectations of dance through experimentation and live imagery. During her performances we see remote controls, chains, a dolly, miniature furniture, a microphone. Michel rubs against surfaces, throws things, puts oversized clothes on and takes them off, tries to make a song, wraps herself in rugs. These seemingly unimportant tasks, repetitive and apparently mindless movements, become a mode of reflecting “on the labor and effortlessness of being a person.” Her collaborations with Tracy Maurice intensify this quest. In Lay them all down (2020), as Michel moves through physical frustration with humor and candor, Maurice drives the camera over the floor, amplifying all sounds, using her body as a tripod that advances and collapses. This is not mere documentation, but a video and performance laboratory that asks if mutual understanding can come from really looking at each other. Both Michel and Maurice dress and undress, follow each other, and create dichotomies around closeness, dimension, speed, and noise. Dancer, filmmaker, camera, and audience are all engaged in the simple yet elusive action of focused observation. Dana Michel and Tracy Maurice film and wear objects that propel them outside comfort and cliché. What remains is the intuitive outburst to be seen and be together, regardless of outcome. 

- Amelia Bande

Press 1, Press 2, Press 3