Strand

BACKGROUND Carriageworks is home base for Performance Space, a NSW cultural agency facilitating artistic innovation for audiences across many different sites and venues. Redfern creates video works at the intersection of site, screen and identity, giving critical expression to the complexity of screen-mediated experience. His practice has become increasingly focused on contemporary understandings of place. These interests are expressed with a self-conscious approach to the technology and culture of video, making it both subject and medium for his work. CONTRIBUTION Strand is a dance video created by Redfern in collaboration with Siobhan Murphy and Michaela Pegum. The work emerged specifically in response to the environment of Lake Tyrell, Victoria's largest salt lake. Contemporary dance practitioners have used their work to protest, to illuminate social concerns, and to galvanize movements (Paloma McGregor) and here human movement engages with a unique and fragile environment. Making dance in the landscape is particularly vexed but the collaboration enabled an overarching thematic approach that led to the choreographer- dancers guiding the edit and Murphy also made a vital contribution to the soundtrack. Although roles and specialities were distinct, this work illustrates a new form of collaborative practice for video makers. SIGNIFICANCE Performance Space champions work that takes creative risks, experiments with artforms and is supported by the Australia Council, Arts NSW; and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.