As part of my art practice I am interested in developing alternative narratives for dance imagery.

 I was intrigued by a rehearsal image I had taken of a dancer in a kimono. The billowing costume was very beautiful. However, the background was featureless and the image unengaging. The dancer’s startled pose led me to create a setting that would suggest her reaction.

I made a model room and introduced an intriguing, ambiguous glass found-object. This was photographed and digitally combined with the dancer image to give the impression of an encounter. Dramatic lighting, strong colours and glistening reflections created an eerie and possibly chilling atmosphere. Figure definition allowed kinetic empathy and embodied cognition and allowed the startled pose to be read and interpreted.

Whether the object is sentient, benign or dangerous is not explained. The viewer is encouraged to explore narratives.

The design of this image builds on the ‘Staging Point’ alternative narrative, this time only the dancer remains and is transported into an invented setting, possibly becoming an imagined dance or disconnected from dance.