Still
Susanna Hood and Nilam Perera, Artword Theatre
Toronto, Ontario, CAN 2000
The dance and vocal work Still was created and performed by Susanna Hood and Nilam Perera at Artword Theatre, 2000. Philip Beesley acted as lighting designer and collaborated with Philip barker and Jim Ruxton in stage and special effects design. the work is described by the composer as a descent “into the world of dreams and memory, set in underworld forest of light and shadow”. The work featured high-key saturated colours of light arranged in hard-edged graphic frames amplifying the potent emotional material within the work. A fragile mesh scrim provided a sheltered space running across the back of the stage contrasting to the starkly exposed front area. Film projected upon this surface, and digitally-controlled light-emitting diodes woven into the surface were manipulated to intimately follow and echo the dancer’s movements. The Globe and Mail said the work was “a must-see event – as precious, as rare, as that proverbial pot of gold”.