Cordingley, A. (2022). [Co-Set and Costume Design] Holding Achilles. By David Morton. Directed by David Morton and Joshua Thomas. Dead Puppets Society and Legs on the Wall, Brisbane and Sydney, 2022.
Holding Achilles is an interdisciplinary live performance work commissioned by Sydney Festival and Brisbane festival, which weaves together renowned Australian companies Legs on the Wall and Dead Puppets Society. It is an extrapolation of the Iliad which foregrounds the deep, queer and poignant relationship of Achilles and Patroclus, chronically overlooked in art, history and account. Puppetry, movement, new music and an intense scenography posit the chapter as something unresolved, indeterminate, ambiguous and beautiful; the set and costume design quite literally describing a world of cycles, iterations and forevers.
History
Add to Elements
Yes
NTRO Output Type
Original Creative Work
NTRO Output Category
Original Creative Work : Design / architectural Work
Place
Brisbane, Sydney, Australia
Venue
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Carriageworks
Medium
Co-Set & Costume Design
Research Statement
Holding Achilles is an interdisciplinary live performance work weaving together Australian companies Legs on the Wall and Dead Puppets Society. An extrapolation of the Iliad, it foregrounds the queer and poignant relationship of Achilles and Patroclus, overlooked in art history.
New knowledge represented in the design hones-in on the creation of a patina which speaks of time and history, but any time and any history. This is a story which leaps decades and traverses geographies; design-wise, it leaps forever distances and forever places. The original design makes gestures only, inviting the audience to engage and imagine what is not illustrated, leaving room for dreaming.
Championed by major national festivals Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, created by key players Dead Puppets Society and Legs on the Wall and presented by stalwart Australian institutions Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Carriage works, this production evidences excellence in its scale and ambition. The critical response in both capital cities and high audience numbers speak to its calibre and reach, as do the eminent collaborations within the creative team (Tony Buchen, Chris Bear and Montaigne).