Choreography: Deborah Light (Great Britain)
Dancers: Marius Pinigis, Siri Maja Ksristin Elmqvist, Anna Karen Gonzalez Huesca, Israel Ismael Infante Salazar
Costumes: Neil Davies (Great Britain)
Lightening: Dan Young (Great Britain)
Music: Murcof & Philippe Petit, Black Fanfare, Susumu Yokota and Deaf Centre
Support: The Lithuanian Council for Culture
Duration: 40 min
Mary Anning was a female fossil hunter in early 19th century in Britain. “The Curio Cabinet” draws inspiration from this remarkable palaeontologist and the creatures she has discovered, her male contemporaries and the shifting social structures of the time.
Performed by 2 males and 2 females, gender roles are examined and status struggles are at play in a world that is governed by the laws of survival of the fittest. This is a world of hidden secrets inhabited by archaic creatures, crumbling fossils and terrible lizards. Stark delineation of spatial territory reflects the social structures of the time. Striking costumes by Neil Davies refer both – the restrictive fashions of the 19th century and the prehistoric fossils that became so fashionable to collect.
Using the body as her primary tool, Deborah’s work is an enquiry into the multiplicity of human nature. This provides a catalyst to create revealing works characterized by sophisticated layering of references, disarming honesty and a sense of subtlety. Deborah has developed a distinctive aesthetic that is minimal and stark, driven by powerful images, bare scenography and intriguing costumes. She creates worlds where the familiar can transform to the mysterious this is often laced with subtle humour and dark undertones.