The Visitor

The Visitor, 2013
Single channel digital video
Large Scale Projection
5 minutes, dimension variable

Performer: Yumi Umiumare

This work is a dialogue between body and movement to explore culture specific gestures as a form of greeting to communicate recognition, friendship and reverence in the space. The physical gestures are a form of welcome where each movement conveys a variety of different actions and thoughts; it is composed of a small wave of the hand, large movements incorporating the entire body or simply a state of being, a posture or a stance. The video is a symphony of non-verbal expressions that illustrate the multicultural nature of gesture. In this project, I used video and dance performance as a medium. I collected information of different gestural greetings from diverse cultures and groups and used them as a point of departure to create a video work that reflected the diversity and richness of people living in the City of Moreland. The intention of the project was to create a welcoming, culturally inclusive environment and to foster peaceful coexistence in a place. I worked with Yumi Umiumare, a performer and choreographer to develop a dance piece based on the research material that I gathered. She used body movement to express authentic and culture specific gestures using one hand, two hands, hand and other body parts, body and facial gestures.

This outdoor video projection was commissioned by City of Moreland as part of 2013 MoreART Public Art Show. The large-scale video projection was presented at Mechanics Institute while screen-based format was presented at Counihan Gallery and Coburg Library.