An exhibition about Michael Clark, who’s described as “the David Bowie of dance”, has opened on the V&A Dundee, Scotland’s museum of design.
Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer spans the dancer and choreographer’s profession to date and explores his collaborations throughout the visible arts, music, trend and movie.
Born in Aberdeen in 1962, Clark started conventional Scottish dancing on the age of 4 and in 1975 left house to examine on the Royal Ballet School in London.
He shaped his personal dance firm in 1984 when he was solely 22. As a younger choreographer he introduced collectively his classical ballet coaching with London’s punk, trend and membership tradition to set up himself as one of probably the most progressive artists working in up to date dance.
Film, pictures, costume and archive materials from all through his profession are introduced in a sequence of completely different rooms within the exhibition, exhibiting Clark as a pioneer who can transcend completely different disciplines.
Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, stated: “Michael Clark is a big expertise who brings new concepts, custom, vitality and wonderful ability to dance. So a lot of his work feels as alive, considerate and related because it did within the years it was created.
“Michael Clark stays vastly related immediately, difficult conference and reflecting the vitality of the world round him, with concepts round gender and sexuality explored in breathtakingly stunning performances.
“For me, Michael Clark is the David Bowie of dance, an inventor who with grace and vitality has discovered new methods for us all to get pleasure from and be impressed by dance.”
Clark’s collaborators have ranged from Leigh Bowery and The Fall to non-professional dancers, whereas his various musical influences embrace Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith, T.Rex and composers Erik Satie and Igor Stravinsky.
An immersive movie and sound set up has been created for the exhibition by Sophie Fiennes and Susan Stenger, which mixes heavy steel music with Clark’s radical choreography, whereas Sarah Lucas has conceived two installations for the present, together with a parodying sculpture of Clark’s physique sitting on a bathroom.
Meanwhile a room devoted to “The Fall” and Clark’s landmark efficiency “I Am Curious, Orange” (1988) options stage props of an enormous burger and baked bean cans.
The exhibition has been curated by Florence Ostende of London’s Barbican Centre.
“I’m delighted this exhibition will convey Michael Clark’s visionary creativity again to his house nation of Scotland,” she stated.
“Clark is fascinating as a pioneer who introduced collectively completely different disciplines to fully change up to date dance and the British cultural panorama, from embracing and celebrating queer tradition within the Nineteen Eighties by to redefining gender illustration and stereotypes throughout the heteronormative custom of ballet historical past.
“This exhibition, one of the biggest surveys ever devoted to a dwelling choreographer, presents a complete story of Clark’s profession.”
The exhibition runs till Sept 4.
