Spiralling by the Sea
Justine A Chambers and Lee Su-Feh, photo by Josh Hite
From May 11 to June 17, 2022 Justine A Chambers and I gradually made our way from Sunset Beach to English Bay, Vancouver, Canada
on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh(Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh) peoples,
practicing the following score:
Tune in to the spirals inside and outside you
Follow one
Follow it until it meets another,
Follow it until it joins another,
Becomes another.
Follow it small. Follow it big
We did this from 10am - 11am on May 11, May 25, June 3, June 10, June 17
We started at Sunset Beach on May 11 and spiral westward for an hour. At the next practice we started where we left off and by June 17 we reached Í7iy̓el̓shn. For more information about that specific site (and the barge that stayed there for more than a year) go here.
Why did we do this?
Because spirals are cool. For all the reasons why we think spirals are cool, go here.
Because following spirals forces us to tune into ourselves and to each other.
Because attending to ourselves and to each other - dancing! - makes us feel better and more ready to take on this messy world.
Are we doing this again?
I have plans to do another version led by other pairs of dancers in Spring/Summer 2024. Stay tuned.
How can you participate?
Spiral with us from wherever and whenever you are.
If you had the chance to watch us, you would have seen two people getting to know the world through the act of spiralling. We invite you to do the same, alone or with others.
While we did this, we listened to this soundscore by Junhong McIntosh-Lee. We invite you to listen to it too as you follow spirals.
photo of Justine A Chambers and Lee Su-Feh spiralling at English Bay by Josh Hite
Spiralling By The Sea is a project by Lee Su-Feh, in collaboration with Justine A Chambers (https://justineachambers.com)
Music by Junhong McIntosh-Lee (https://www.jmcintoshlee.com)
Images and transit shelter poster design by Josh Hite (https://www.joshhite.com)
This project posits dance as social practice, as a way of moving through the world, as a way of being with others, as an activity that can take place anywhere and done by anyone, part of public space, alongside other daily activities of humans and non-humans.
It is supported by The City of Vancouver, The BC Arts Council and the Province of British Columbia, The Canada Council for the Arts through battery opera performance, the non-profit arts organization that supports the work of Lee Su-Feh and David McIntosh. For more information about battery opera, go here.