Can a body have its own sense of self? Can a meme change your worldview? Can an image ever capture who you really are?
For as long as we have recorded history, we have created images of ourselves and the things around us. For one night only, artist Micah Rustichelli will present two projects - A Body Which Draws Itself and Demon Rhythm - which together explore different ends of this uniquely human obsession.
A Body Which Draws Itself and Demon Rhythm are two endurance-based works which both explore how we use images to see, express and share ourselves. From an artist tied in knots, testing if the body can draw its own image, to a cacophony of painted images stolen from the internet, this double-bill calls into question the value we place on images of ourselves, others and the world around us.
Micah Rustichelli is a transdisciplinary artist primarily focussed on themes of selfhood, identity, and the existential factors therein. Working predominantly in painting, drawing and sculpture, the artist stretches these forms to exist across contexts of studio practice, experimental circus, contemporary dance, and club-kid performance.
From their studies to personal lived experiences, Rustichelli’s interest in the concept of self is with pulling apart what makes us who we are, from things which are inherent, things which are indoctrinated and things which are adopted. The larger concern in this practice is exploring why our sense of self matters so deeply to us, how has this changed through history and, more importantly, how will it evolve into the future.
James Halloran is best known for being lead singer of ÚMBRIEL, an electronic, art-pop powerhouse based in Brisbane, Australia. Described as “Like Enya on Steroids”, this flamboyant being is guaranteed to seduce you into their strange, other-world where string quartets battle industrial synthesizers, held together with a voice that is incandescent in its ability to grow, to strike, to pierce, and to mend, surrendering into vivid and emotive expression.
This is freak-pop by genre, unsettled by its context, strident in its content. His control of performance, voice and presence — has crafted James into a powerfully theatrical performer. James frequently works performing, composing and musically directing contemporary, avant-garde theatrical productions. Halloran’s dark, reflective and heart-breaking theatrical works have seen him perform and compose for physical theatre companies and independent artists, as well as nationally tour his own productions.
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Acknowledgement of Country
Metro Arts acknowledge the Jagera and Turrbal peoples, as the custodians of the land we work on, recognising their connection to land, waters and community. We honour the story-telling and art-making at the heart of First Nations’ cultures, and the enrichment it gives to the lives of all Australians.
Metro Arts accepts the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution.