GUILT FRAME
...the 40-minute journey is as mesmerising as it is inexplicably profound. ...the work is elegant, simple, complex, profound, stark, elsuive - yet never daunting. It is wonderfully easy to watch and very effecting. ...a wonderful journey of shared discovery.
James Waites, Australian Stage, March 2008.
full review
...together they are mesmerising.
Deborah Jones, The Australian, February 2008.
full review
The two faces in front of you, scarcely moving, are plunging through a sea of emotions... drawing you into an intense 40 minutes of observation and response... It is something to see - and feel. Jill Sykes, The Sydney Morning Herald, February 2008.
full review
embrace: GUILT FRAME performed by Tess de Quincey and Peter Snow was presented by Sydney Theatre Company in February 2008 as the first of Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton's new program of productions and received rave reviews.
RealTime review
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Guilt Frame Poster (1.4meg)
Two people, time and change
With mesmerising and intense simplicity, two performers create a living portrait that illuminates the shape and rhythms of our inner life.
Drawing together work from three continents - Japan, India and Australia - the performers negotiate the eight states of human emotion, as outlined in The Natyasastra - the cornerstone of artistic practice in India.
Integral to the piece is Michael Toisuta's compelling sound composition Homage to Ligeti which takes its inspiration from Györgi Ligeti’s Poème Symphonique for 100 Metronomes, first performed in Holland in 1963. With its thick and numerous superimposed grids, moiré patterns emerge which result in changing rhythmic structures, unpredictable patterns growing out of the opening homogeny. At times complicit and at times counterpointing the performers, this provides another cultural carpet and a challenging underpinning by which to encounter and negotiate, with the performers, the holographic perception of emotion proposed by The Natyasastra - rich and layered yet pure and uncomplicated.
The performers invite the audience to a discussion over a glass of wine after the performance.
Concept & direction Tess de Quincey
Sound Design Michael Toisuta
Lighting Design Travis Hodgson
Set Design Russell Emerson and Steve Howarth / Erth
De Quincey Co invites you to take a leap into a new type of theatrical experience. Embrace: GUILT FRAME was presented by Sydney Theatre Company in February 2008 as the first of Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton's new program of productions and received rave reviews. The format is arresting. The experience is profound.
The meaning of the work lies at a primal level which virtually defies the kind of commentary deployed in conventional ‘criticism’. This leaves a reviewer somewhat – and rather marvelously – exposed. All I can say is that the work is elegant, simple, complex, profound, stark, elusive – yet never daunting. It is wonderfully easy to watch and very effecting.
James Waites, AUSTRALIAN STAGE
The cross-disciplinary nature of the piece opens possibilities for joint programming opportunities with regional galleries and tertiary institutions as well as schools. Although the set-up and installation of the piece is simple and quick, the sightlines particularly are crucial and we encourage any interested venues to contact us to discuss details and suitability of venues.
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