Taut, tethered and torn
Ballet tights, stones and cement blocks
Installation: 90 cm x 250 cm x 120 cm
Artist’s Statement
Taut, tethered, and torn explores the tension between a dancer’s body and mind, where physical endurance intersects with emotional strain. The body retains experiences — some too deeply embedded to be processed by thought alone — and dance becomes a way to feel, express, and endure.
This sculptural installation uses ballet tights filled with stones, bricks, and cement blocks. Some are stretched to their limits and hung, while others envelop broken cement, causing the fabric to tear and strain. The weighted forms are pinned at the waist, their “legs” dragged downwards, embodying both physical pressure and psychological burden.
The work responds to the fixation on weight and bodily control within dance culture, where phrases like “Suck in your stomach; I can see your lunch” reflect the constant scrutiny dancers face. Here, weight becomes literal — gravity acting on the material as it does on the body, revealing moments of rupture, fragility, and persistence.
By drawing on objects associated with the dancer’s body, the work reflects on the invisible demands placed upon it: to be light, graceful, and endlessly controlled. It questions what is sacrificed in the pursuit of perfection and how the body bears the marks of these expectations.
Ultimately, Taut, tethered, and torn speaks to the resilience and vulnerability of the body under pressure — tethered by discipline, torn by expectation, and yet enduring.
Gallery
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