In this video by Fancy Film, Shelley Lasica discusses the complex mechanism of working with multiple logistics of the museum and also the temporal, spatial logics of the theatre for WHEN I AM NOT THERE. WHEN I AM NOT THERE takes the form of a performance exhibition. It embeds a major new choreographic work within an exhibition of artworks, objects, texts and sounds, all distilled from Lasica's archive. This approach questions what it means 'to perform' and 'to exhibit', purposefully ensuring that one mode cannot exist without the other.

Lasica's body of work is uniquely characterised by the conversations it holds with the traditions and practices of theatre, fashion, installation, painting, sound, sculpture, literature, architecture and choreography itself. These conversations create both a physical and relational infrastructure within her practice as she has moved between solo performance and ensemble works for many people. For WHEN I AM NOT THERE, Lasica has worked with a cross-generational mix of collaborators, including dancers LJ Connolly-Hiatt, Luke Fryer, Timothy Harvey, Rebecca Jensen, Megan Payne, Lana Šprajcer and Oliver Savariego; sound artist François Tétaz; consultants Lisa Radford and Colby Vexler; creative producer Zoe Theodore and curator Hannah Mathews.

WHEN I AM NOT THERE was originally commissioned for Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne where it was presented from 16-27 August 2022. It will be presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in May 2023. The publication accompanying Shelley Lasica: WHEN I AM NOT THERE is the first monograph of a contemporary Australian choreographer. Both the performance exhibition and publication have been made possible by the support of the Australian Research Council Linkage Project, Precarious Movements: Choreography and the Museum, with the new commission supported by Monash University Museum of Art and the Art Gallery of New South Wales and their benefactor group, Atelier.

PROJECT CREDITS

• Choreographer:  Shelley Lasica
• Creators: Colby Vexler, Lisa Radford
• Curator: Hannah Mathews
• Performers: Lana Šprajcer, LJ Connolly-Hiatt, Luke Fryer, Megan Payne, Oliver Savariego, Rebecca Jensen, Shelley Lasica,Timothy Harvey
• Producer: Zoe Theodore
• Sound designer: François Tétaz