ARTIST RESEARCH: Liz Aggis

Liz Aggis is a Brighton based artist, film maker, choreographer, dancer and professor of visual performance at the University of Brighton.  She creates work that is performance, dance film, art film, choreography and installations.  Her work is eclectic; taking inspiration from a huge variety of styles and artwork. She is known internationally for her innovative and original work and has received many prestigious awards for her art.  As a dancer/ choreographer and film maker myself, I am extremely intrigued by her films.

One film that I have a particular interest in is a piece by Aggis called 'Motion Control' (Video below). This 8mins 30' film was shot with 35mm film and explores from camera point of view the concepts of entrapment.

"Take one glamorous and aging dancer. Trap her in the real world. Smash into her private reality. Control her movement, contain her emotion. Well, you can try but she has already beaten you to it. With hyper-sound and super smart awareness, submit to this bizarre journey of entrapment.  -Liz Aggis"

I really like the use of panning (at 2:43) as it is taking the movement and taking it further than the human body could ever do - emphasising the action content.

I also really enjoy the three complete different styles used in each section as they give the film the impression of a narrative.

I have chosen to look at this artist as her use of medium and her concepts are extremely relevant to my project and my work and I would like to create some dance films to contribute towards The Duality of FAME.