SELF CARE

We shot this dance film in one afternoon. We had some camera gear leftover from a shoot the day before (on a weekend hire package), and decided to put it to use.

The whole film was completely improvised. We arrived at my friends Khayla and Anthony’s studio in Marrickville. I was obsessed with the green carpet in the living room.

And so I decided to explore each part of the studio - the bathroom, the living room and the art studio where Anthony paints. Using these locations and settings as inspiration for the dance.

I imagined the character was reptilian in the way she moved, emerging from the bath, still soaking wet, and sliding across the floor from one room to another.

I liked the idea of the dancer spending the day at home alone, and using this time to explore - not externally but internally.

“Self Care” is a real buzz word these days. I’ve come to realise the importance of spending time alone, especially to allow space for the creative mind to roam free.

You can see that in the process she indulges in some vices, in an attempt to silence what Buddhists call the “monkey mind”. She also takes a look at herself, examining who and where she is at that moment. She then takes to the studio to literally paint herself into a new form.

The film was half "choreographed" on the shoot and half in the cutting room. I handed the footage over to our editor Alex and picked out favourite parts of Lydia’s improvised movements, where the camera was able to capture the unpredictable direction of her limbs. We then handed this cut over to our composers Jess and Alex (To Kill A Dead Man) who composed a musical piece in response to the movements they were watching on screen. It was the first time I’d ever done a silent cut, allowing for the composers to add a whole new layer to the film with their auditory interpretation.

It’s been an incredibly collaborative and experimental process that is the beginning of many dance films to come from our team! Pushing the limits of dance - for the dancer on screen as well, as the camera operator on set and the editor in the cutting room. We are all dancing.

Words by YASMIN SUTEJA

STARRING LYDIA KIVELA

PRODUCED BY CULTURE MACHINE

DIRECTED BY YASMIN SUTEJA

CINEMATOGRAPHER KAMIL DOMARADZKI

PRODUCTION DESIGNER DIVA ABRAHAMIAN

SOUND BY TO KILL A DEAD MAN

EDITOR ALEX QUIRK

STYLIST ISABELLA MAMAS

MAKEUP ARTIST MAGGIE WU

SET DRESSER KHAYLA FLOWER

1ST AC DECLAN MAY

2ND AC TRUDI GLUTOM

BEST BOY JULIAN VINCENT

COLOURIST KAMIL DOMARADZKI