Share this page:

«

»

Matthew Bird
And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Author: Matthew Bird

Performance space: The Lawler, Southbank Theatre at the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC)

Theatre company/company produced for: Phillip Adams Balletlab

Month & year of original production: March 2013

Description of items intended for exhibition:
Drawing
Video clip
Prop

Project description:
And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow grew from Phillip Adams’ esoteric research into alien abduction and a revelatory experience at The Integratron in the Mojave Desert, USA. This became the entry point for Adams’, and collaborating architect, Matthew Bird’s imagined abduction, an architectural installation and spatial oddity of sonic and design interactions between the artists. They have sought to create a “tomorrow” utopia; an unsettled universe desperate to gather, confirm and sexualise a superlative energy united by a utopian impulse to liberate the mind.The physical process radically began by reducing any notion of excess and desire, questioning the absolute in everything and recognising the necessity to work naked. Ideas have entered the studio and been actively discarded. The cultish journey from desert encounters, trailer-trash biker, sound recordings and environmental installation in the Mojave Desert and Luxembourg brings us to the premiere in a black box theatre.

Artform:
Performance Design
Set Design
Costume Design
Theatre Architecture
Installation
Interactive & New Media
Lighting Design

Designers:
Set designer: Matthew Bird (Studiobird)
Costume designer: Susan Dimasi (MaterialbyProduct)
Lighting designer: Robin Fox
Sound designer: Garth Paine (Activated Space)
Director/choreographer: Phillip Adams & Brooke Stamp

Image gallery

Matthew Bird - And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Actuating cymbals
Photograph of performer and collaborating choreographer Brooke Stamp holding a 'actuating' cymbal that generatively interacts with 16 radially suspended brass cymbals. In the background a lighting installation floodlights the performance space. Image credit to Jeff Busby, Photographer.

Matthew Bird - And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Site Construction
A radial space is constructed as part of the performance with audience members invited to participate. The design references utopian structures form and constructed with blankets, marking devices, natural and manufactured objects and cement mixers. Image credit to Jeff Busby, Photographer.

Matthew Bird - And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Alien Presence
A suspended installation of three cement mixers descends from above simulating a abductive presence within the performance space. Image credit to Jeff Busby, Photographer.

Matthew Bird - And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Mojave Desert Development Installation
Image of Matthew Bird and Phillip Adams guerrilla style desert floor installation in the Mojave Desert USA as part of fieldwork research for the project. Armed with ‘marking’ materials of pegs, reflectors and builders line sourced from a local Home Depot Bird built a radial landing site in an attempt to communicate with supposed aliens.

Matthew Bird - And All Things Return To Nature Tomorrow

Luxembourg Development Installation
Image of a second development installation for the project. This guerrilla style installation was crafted in the wintery landscape of monumental fortification structures of Luxembourg - testing ideas alien and utopian presence within a global context. Phillip Adams, Matthew Day, Deanne Butterworth and Rennie McDougall performatively assembled a range of materials that tested ideas of aerial marking, 'in the round' UFO geometries, abduction blanket beds and a hypnotic 'occulas' cement mixer.

Other media

https://vimeo.com/56967102
Luxembourg Development Installation - Movie
Movie of the second development installation for the project. This guerrilla style installation was crafted in the wintery landscape of monumental fortification structures of Luxembourg - testing ideas alien and utopian presence within a global context. Phillip Adams, Matthew Day, Deanne Butterworth and Rennie McDougall performatively assembled a range of materials that tested ideas of aerial marking, 'in the round' UFO geometries, abduction blanket beds and a hypnotic 'occulas' cement mixer.