I will cast my transformation spell a second time for the CHTHONIC II festival at IKLECTIK.

transformation spell
natura / secunda creatura

Living flesh has the power to transform, to create and recreate itself; from the moment of conception, before even the contours of a self emerge, this power is movement. The potential of transformation is intertwined with our vulnerability, our passibility, to undergo ordeals or ecstasies that transfigure us. Of this passibility Michel Henry wrote, ‘In the depths of its Night, our flesh is god.’ My dance is born in this Night, in encounter with the unknown, alien and holy.

In the choreographic sequence of transformation spells I explore the frisson and tensions between becoming and being, fusing my fascination with the Utterances or Spells of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, particularly those explicitly concerned with the transformation of the deceased (76–88), with my foundation in the philosophy and methodologies of butô. Of these, butô-fu (the dance notation or score) – compositions of images and words that affect the dancer’s imaginal to effect bodily transformations and movement – function similarly to the hieroglyphic Utterances.

·

About the event

CHTHONIC II dives into the darker side of sound and performance whilst fostering an alternative environment that is open to self expression for both our audience and performers. Taking place at IKLECTIK and Ormside Projects on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 November 2023, the word chthonic derives from the Greek word chthon, though a more direct translation would be chthonios which means ‘under, or beneath the earth’.

On the second day we present an evening of boundary-pushing performances by Alkistis Dimech, an artist deeply rooted in ankoku butô. ONY, a genre-defying DJ and producer, crafts immersive dark soundscapes that defy convention. Jose Macabra’s avant-garde performance, ‘Drilling the Unconscious,’ uses atonality, improvised vocals, field recordings and daring noise to transcend boundaries, an invitation to rebel against control. Meanwhile, Ronce’s provocative blend of predatory ASMR and distorted frequencies provides an unsettling, charthic journey.

More info: iklectik.org/chthonicii

This is an 18+ event