fifteen

Woven through Melbourne’s peak hour pedestrian traffic, fifteen is a site-responsive work that critically dissects body language and proxemic theories to investigate human behaviour in the city. With the inevitable intrusion of strangers into our intimate zone, humans react by limiting body movement, avoiding eye contact, stripping emotion from the face and avoiding direct contact with strangers. Created, produced and performed in public space, fifteen invites audiences to immerse themselves in a live mixed-audio soundtrack, watching the performance emerge and disappear in the environment around them.

How much are we willing to engage with the unfamiliar. What are you doing? We are working.

About the Artist

Liesel Zink : Director/Choreographer

Liesel Zink is a Brisbane-based dancer and choreographer, and has performed with Tasdance, Phluxus2, and for independent choreographers and performance makers in Brisbane. Liesel has choreographed works for Expressions Dance Company, Metro Arts (the Independents), Ausdance QLD, Tasdance (Education Program) and joined Phluxus2 as AIR at Dance North. Liesel’s practice extends beyond the contemporary dance genre joining La Boite Theatre Company as an Associate Artist (2011) and choreographing for several drama productions.

Martyn Coutts : Dramaturg

Martyn Coutts an Australian interdisciplinary arts practitioner. His work spans multiple media and forms, with a focus on creating immersive interactive experiences for audiences and communities. He has worked as a performance maker, producer, video artist, performer, mentor, teacher, dramaturg, director and VJ. He is based in Melbourne, but creates work collaboratively or solo around the country and throughout the Asia Pacific. He is a member of arts collective Field Theory, the collaboration Deadpan with Willoh S. Weiland and founder of the influential Live Art resource blog LALA.

Mike Willmett : Sound Designer

Mike Willmett is a Brisbane-based artist that has narrowed his work down to sound art, sound design, visual art, digital art, graphic design, musical programming, composition, recording and anything else that allows him to mess with peoples heads. His work frequently revolves around the relationship between sound and space - in particular how sound can be manipulated to control and distort the perspective of an audience.

Nicholas Paine : Producer

Nicholas Paine is a producer and creator of theatre and festivals. He is currently working as the Program Manager at La Boite Theatre Company and has worked as a producer for Performance Space 122, little big productions, Dead Puppet Society, Liesel Zink, Backbone Youth Arts, Brisbane Festival and Imaginary Theatre.

Robbie O'Brien : Performer

Robbie is a theatre performer, creator, writer and educator. This year he has performed in The Raven (Metro Arts) and in 2011 performed in Room 328 (WTF) and The Hamlet Apocalypse (La Boite Independents). Other performance credits include A Catch of the Breath (Metro Arts) and ..those with Lucifer (Zen Zen Zo).

Sammie Williams : Performer

Sammie is a performer, choreographer and teacher ranging from contemporary and jazz to hip hop. Previously performing for the Expressions Education Team, Mad Dance House, Elements Collective, Phluxus 2 and for Claire Marshall. Her choreography credits include, film clips ‘Balloons’ by band Foals and ‘Be Gone’ by Tara Simmons and for QUT’s 2009 & 2010 graduation seasons; ‘Empty Beats for Lonely Dancers’ and ‘One Way’, which explored the fusion of hip hop and contemporary vocabulary and continues to be a point of choreographic interest.

Tyler Hawkins : Performer

A recent VCA graduate, Tyler has already had an extensive career in the Australian dance industry as both a performer and choreographer and is an Artistic Associate and founding member of 2ndToe Dance Collective. He has worked with renowned choreographers: Gideon Obarzanek, Jo Lloyd, Stephanie Lake, Natalie Cursio and Adam Wheeler.

Niharika Senapati : Performer

Having just graduated from WAAPA in Perth, Niharika is already finding her feet as a professional contemporary dancer in Australia. She is interested in all types of movement, including improvised and choreographed dance, contact improvisation and yoga. She has worked with and been taught by many established artists including Nanette Hassall, Matthew Morris, Sue Peacock, Justin Rutzou, Rachel Arianne Ogle, Jacob Lehrer, Dean Walsh and Xiaoxiong Zhang.