Heather Myers

The choreographed dance within the Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre expresses the nature of water, the idea of community, social relevance, space usage and perception, and the question of how these considerations are connected.

My hcma residency and project delved into the intersection of dance, architecture and, ultimately, film through the creation of a site specific dance work/dance film inspired by The Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre.

I think that both myself and hcma were interested in how the forms of architecture and dance could inform and enrich each other through the creative process and discussion. Additionally, community was a particular consideration for the very public space that we were working with and so I wanted to keep in mind the idea of re-contextualizing or enhancing the space and architectural ideas for the public that will be inhabiting the space.

The nature of the project immediately called to my interest in exploring unconventional formats of presenting dance work as well as collaborating with a variety of art forms. Particularly, the call for the work to specifically address architecture was an opportunity for me to approach my craft in an unusual way. The focus that I put on transcribing and interpreting architectural forms opened up a very particular but also bountiful source for movement inspiration which I can now apply to a variety of creative challenges in my work.

hcma cultivates a very open and welcoming atmosphere for artists to work in close proximity to a form that they might not normally interact with. I feel that the opportunity for an artist to interact creatively with the spaces we inhabit as well as the designers of those spaces gives greater value and meaning to both practices.