IMPOSSIBLE IMAGE

A product of France and Germany's International Screendance Production Residency initiative, Karen Pearlman's 'Impossible Image' remixes the anarchy and gender play of women of the 1920s, with the fury, irony, and sly humour of dancing women in the 2020s. Cutting together contemporary action and archival footage creates a montage of rage, hilarity and feminist protest echoing across 100 years. Inspired by the vibrant energy of the silent film era comediennes, and their rampaging disregard for order and expectations, this project combines archival footage and contemporary dance sequences to draw parallels between subversive forms of protest from our great-grandmothers to ourselves. The past and the present coming together to challenge gender performance and shake down the patriarchy, while dancing in the streets.