Sat + Sun: 
Check tours for this show

More about Liam McCall

Ropes & Limbs is an iteration of a research project by visual artist Isabel Cordeiro and the vertical dance collective Ropes Aligned, examining how bodies are shaped within the forces of gravity, withing the materiality of the world and in relation to each other.

Two suspended performers walk down the side of a building while interacting with different materials – ropes, textiles and aluminum -  that inform their movements. In the process of entanglement, unraveling and unfolding lies a transference of knowledge from the material’s imprinted history into the performers’ bodies.

Ropes & Limbs is inspired by the piece ‘Man Walking Down the Side of A Building’ (1970) by choreographer Trisha Brown (US, 1936-2017) in which a solitary dancer, secured by harnesses, attached to a single cable, walks down the side of the building at a ninety degree angle to the wall.

Compelled by gravity, the performer exerted considerable effort as he performed the normally mundane task of walking. Brown’s intention was not to create a sense of theatricality but to draw attention to the simple and natural act of walking in an unnatural scenario.

In Ropes & Limbs, as in Brown’s piece, no particular instructions are given for how the performers should move, leaving them open to focus on their own physical reaction to walking in this unusual way. Introducing Cordeiro’s objects allows for a new layer of embodied exploration.

Credits
Concept: Isabel Cordeiro, Ropes Aligned
Vertical dancers: Suzanne de Bekker & Natasja Bode (Ropes Aligned)
Visual art: Isabel Cordeiro
A coproduction of Ropes Aligned, Isabel Cordeiro and WhyNot.
Thanks to: Het Motorblok, Zaandam

More about the makers
Ropes Aligned - Vertical Dance Theater Amsterdam aims to promote vertical dance in the Netherlands and beyond. Founders and directors Suzanne de Bekker and Natasja Bode create vertical dance performances for public spaces, using climbing and abseiling techniques. They make works for public spaces in urban environments as well as in nature.

Isabel Cordeiro is an Amsterdam-based artist, curator, and teacher at several Dutch art academies. She holds an MA in Fine Arts from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam and a degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture of Lisbon. Her works have been shown internationally at, amongst others, at7 Project Space Amsterdam (2019), Bradwolff Projects, Amsterdam (2017), Glasgow Sculpture Studios (2016), Halle 14, Leipzig (2014), Das Weisse Haus, Vienna (2010), Jorge Shirley Gallery, Lisbon (2012) and Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag (2008).