Dance of Motorcycles ๐๐๐ป๐
Wideo
2020
performance for the camera, 4-channel video installation, full HD, sound, 30โ30โโ
The point of departure for this artwork was a performative action carried out by Barbara Gryka with motorcycle enthusiasts from Lublin.
The place of action was a square that hosts markets on the weekends. On weekdays, motorcycle enthusiasts meet there to train together and to talk about their passion.
Barbara Gryka invited motorcyclists to dance. The choreography was inspired by folk traditions of Terra Lublinensis (Lublin Region), the artist’s place of origin. She performs in a richly adorned folk costume that village women would wear on exceptional, festive occasions. The remaining dancers are wearing clothes typical for the motorcycle subculture: leather jackets and helmets with visors covering their faces.
Music was replaced by the roar of engines. Nonetheless, the artist’s loud voice can be heard through the noise, as she directs the dancers.
By wearing a folk costume, Gryka forms part of the tradition corresponding to her heritage, but she changes the patriarchal order typical for it. The screening is filled with the violent, aggressive element of roaring machines, but in the midst of this pandemonium, there is an empowered female figure; she is the one that the motorcycles are driving around, and the one who shapes the movements of their dance.
The four-channel video installation is assembled in a way to make the viewer feel like they are in the middle of the “Dance of Motorcycles”. The machines “drive” from one screen to another, circling around the viewer. Before the entrance to the room where the installation is displayed, the artist placed a film that shows the dance scene from a bird’s-eye view; from this perspective, we can fully appreciate the precision and geometry of the motorcycles’ choreography.
In one of the exposition versions of the artwork, the artist complemented it with a site-specific installation made of found objects, making reference, on the one hand, to the countryside landscape, and on the other hand, to the motorcycle culture (objects like worn tyres or hay). However, this element does not constitute an integral part of the “Dance of Motorcycles” project.
Curated by Emilia Lipa
Text by Stach Szabลowski
Translation by Zofia Piฤtek
Performed by: Kasia Dados, Marek Jฤczeล, Tomek Jฤczeล, Damian Jรณลบwiak, Rafaล โAuto-holikโ Michalczak, Paweล Namiฤta, Jasiek Smaga, Wojciech.
Video production and editing: Jan Szewczyk
Sound production: Alex Banaszkiewicz
Drone video: As VIDEO