Ephemeral Artifacts
Ephemeral Artifacts is a repertoire production of ĀNANDAM’s choreographed by Brandy Leary. Created in 2017 it exists in different iterations, each with a diverse cast of artists. Since 2017, the work has been shown in gallery, theatre and public space contexts.
This iteration, designed specifically for a theatre context was created for and with long-time collaborator Travis Knights. This unique collaboration between Leary and Knights offers a multidisciplinary journey that unsettles standard traditions of choreography, improvisation and collective creation.
Ephemeral Artifacts (Travis Knights) celebrates the relationship of dancer to dance and dance’s relationship to history. It centres the body as a space of transmission and dance as a defiant act of creating knowledge. Featuring tap artist Travis Knights, this work integrates music, video, sculpture and storytelling.
“...(Ephemeral Artifacts) importantly reified discourse about the marginalized ‘object’ of dance-performance and the ‘othered’ body as a critical site for the transmission of knowledge through form, movement, presence and gesture.”
“ Brandy and Travis are not interested in the new. They are interested in the deep.”
Year: 2022
Venue: Montréal Arts Interculturels (Montréal, QC),Tanzhaus (Dusseldorf, GE), Claquettes Club (Liege, BE), Nottdance (Nottingham, UK), High Performance Rodeo (Calgary, CA), Festival of New Dance (St. John’s, NFLD), Shenkman Hall (Ottawa, ON), Natarani Theatre (Ahmedabad, IN), Bangalore International Centre (Bangalore, IN), Goethe Institute (CHennai, IN)
Co-Choreographer, Director, Dramaturge: Brandy Leary
Co-Choreographer, Performer, Composer: Travis Knights
Lighting Design: Siobhán Sleath
Sculpture Design: Nithya Garg
Video Design/Cinematography: Eamon Mac Mahon (2023), Robert Kingsbury (2022)
Curator/Presenter: MAI (PQ), Tap Dance Days (GE), Claquettes Club (BE), Nottdance Festival (UK), High Performance Rodeo/DJD (AB), Festival of New Dance (NFLD), CAPACOA (ON), Natarani (IN), Attakkalari Dance Biennale (IN), March Dance (IN)
Photos: Eamon MacMahon, Harikishan S Nair, Noel Bégin