Don’t talk, just dance
Published 19 October, 2008, 09:30
Dance is an ancient form of expressing feelings and reveals what’s hidden in the subconscious, according to French videoartist Phillippe Jamet. His love for his subject can be seen in Moscow for the first time as his ‘Dancing Portraits’ exhibition opened in the city this weekend.
He believes that when people dance spontaneously, it means they are representing the free emotions that humans experience.
“Let your feelings out, let the dance say what you can’t find words for,” he says.
Jamet’s exhibition features people from around the world displaying their sentiments through improvised music and movement. The artist focuses on the most common feelings people experience – including bitterness, happiness, fear, love and hope.
The first series of 'Dancing Portraits' was presented ten years ago in Paris. Since then it has successfully travelled all over the world.
Phillippe Jamet says he needed to film people all over the world to successfully contrast people from their background, nationality, age, physical appearance, social status and culture – and to compare how that affects human emotion.
His conclusion is simple: “This work shows how people are similar inside”.
He includes clips of interviews he conducted with the residents of each city. People told him about their interests, memories and their everyday lives.
As well as the video clips, Jamet also includes large mosaic photo portraits featuring people, decorations, and traditional cultural objects from around the world.
Spectators say Jamet's installation is an unusual prism of the way we respond to people's sentiments, something we should be able to do daily. And this journey of feelings works both ways – with the Moscow audience encouraged to share their feelings about what they've experienced by leaving their comments on a wall.
Related links
Fighting, dancing, fun… a typical Moscow night out!
Singing and dancing in the rain: Russians revel in ancient holiday
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