Abacus
Fri 23 Sep 2022
- Free Culture Night Event. Performances will take place on Bray seafront by the bandstand.
- Duration: 25mins approx.
| Fri 23 Sep
6pm & 8pm |
Performances will take place on Bray seafront by the bandstand.
There are 2 performances at 6pm & 8pm, each lasting approx. 25mins.
*Please note due to unforeseen circumstances the 7pm performance has been cancelled.
This is a free event with no booking necessary.
Abacus by Laura Murphy Dance.
Abacus is a contemporary dance performance for 9 women and 18 buckets. The performers take the buckets through a series of sequences that echo the experience of work. They lift and swing, twirl and clash the buckets. They work overtime in overdrive, dancing to the beat of the conveyor belt, and turning work into a spectator sport.
Abacus examines our relationship with work and routine, the rhythms we experience in daily life. It looks at the antithesis of conformity and freedom, of togetherness and individualism. The themes are universal yet the origins of the work are based on dairy farming in Ireland - the rhythms of milking cows two times per day; the sometimes mundane and sometimes relaxing rhythm of the milking parlour; the rhythms we adhere to daily because of what life demands.
The image of the aluminium ‘farm/milk bucket’ is Irish - it is found in farming co-op stores around the country - yet it is universal in its appearance. Abacus gives a nod to our agricultural heritage in a contemporary setting. It acknowledges the industrial nature of our world - the clashing and banging of aluminium, and the humanity and femininity required to ‘keep the ball rolling’.
In Irish culture women are actively working in physical jobs; they have a female response and sensibility to physical labour. This is relatively new for our society and it is important to be celebrated as part of our contemporary culture. The large scale, all female cast in Abacus ranges from women in their twenties to those in their fifties. The uniquely female cast shows off Irish Culture in an oblique and contemporary fashion
PERFORMERS: Justine Cooper, Marion Cronin, Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín, Magda Hylak, Lucia Kickham, Emily Kilkenny-Roddy, Isabella Oberlander, Sarah Ryan, Catherine Young.
‘Abacus enthralled and fascinated Dublin Fringe audiences. The work is monumental and striking, performed with powerful precision and intent.’
Kris Nelson, Curator | Dublin Fringe Festival 2017
‘Abacus is a highly accomplished, rigorous and atmospheric piece of work that really connected to The National Sculpture Factory site, echoing days of factory work on the assembly line. Choreographed beautifully by Laura Murphy resulting in a mesmerising piece of movement and sound.’
Kath Gorman, Curator | Cork Midsummer Festival 2016
‘It was a highly sought-after show which created really stimulating audience experiences and interactions’
Mary McCarthy | Director National Sculpture Factory Cork & Chair Culture Ireland
Please note that this is an off-site event.
Performances will take place on Bray Seafront, by the Bandstand - Google Maps.
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