Unravelling / Emma Hoette (2019)

This thesis documents the context and process of research towards the performance /installation Unravelling which premiered on 26th July 2019 (the second hottest day ever recorded in London). It was the culmination of a body of work that investigates how my practice can prompt a dialogue to reroute our current Anthropocentric path. Through spliced fragments of film, text, choreography and images, Unravelling weaves a personal yet universal narrative of our relationship with natural environments.

The research process translates interactions with and observations of specific places into embodied experiences. Movement is used to unpack new perspectives of natural resource extraction and consumption, while parallels between the anatomy of the body and the topographies of the Arctic are drawn. The resulting installation and performance immerses the audience in hybrid landscapes hoping to ignite empathy and inspire agency.

With this thesis I aim to position this work in both the wider contexts of addressing and responding to the facts of climate change as well as within the field of dance and performance. It argues that embodied experiences can offer new perspectives on the current climate crisis and provide opportunities for igniting empathy and creating space for a renewed sense of agency through embodied practice.