Rear Vision | Vulcana
The performers approach us, staring directly at us through the window. While they are lit up by our headlights, we can’t see their faces or get a read of what they’re feeling. Inside our bubble, they seem almost alien to us; like apparitions. Slowly, they peel away their layers of masks until we see what lies underneath. One radiates love, while the other is pure fear. And then, as quickly as they appeared, they are gone. They scatter into the night, to share a brief, fleeting moment of connection with others around them, while we are left shaken or moved by what they have shared with us.
In any other time, these glimpses of humanity might seem alien and unreal, but not this year. This is but one of many memorable and relatable moments in Vulcana Circus’s final show of the year, Rear Vision, their response to this year that will live in infamy, 2020.
Image: Jacob Morrison
Ever the innovators in live performance, in Rear Vision Vulcana offers us the perfect way to consume the arts in the time of COVID; drive-in circus. Safely ensconced in our cars, we are catapulted into the world of the performers through a gorgeous soundscape playing on our stereos created by Brisbane’s maestro of sound, Anna Whitaker, accompanied by the captivating poetry of Angela Peita. Our headlights are used for lighting at times and the cars appropriately become representatives of the individual cells we’ve all been forced into this year.
In our bubbles, parked around a central rig, the 25 plus performers weave in and around us, trying to connect with us and recreating the year that was. Under the direction of Celia White, Vulcana’s Artistic Director, the acts are never just about the tricks performed; they convey the journey that many of us have been on throughout the year. The work responds to the fear of touch and contamination, uncertainty and anxiety of the initial lockdown, the relentless positivity and productivity drive that has been forced upon us, how we’ve had to find new ways to be and play together and how we can more forward after everything we’ve been through.
Image: Jacob Morrison
The sizable cast is used to great effect, with the ensemble filling the space between the cars beautifully and being able to interact with every ‘cell’ at key moments of the piece, all further immersing the audience into the world of Rear Vision. The ensemble’s work is interspersed with small group acts performed in and around the central rig, that respond to an aspect of this year. Stand-out moments include Regan Ainsley’s exploration of a bike suspended from the rig, her world literally turned upside down, Rachael Gibson and Nirvana Pilkington exploring the loss of touch and the importance of its return through partner acrobatics, Madeleine Grant, Phoebe Manning and Regan Ainsley’s exploration of play through clowning, our own Nadia Jade and Rachael Gibson’s hypnotic super-massive hooping, Grace Law’s straps routine that for me embodied being caught between two worlds and Abbey Church and Mayu Muto’s exploration of intimacy on duo bike.
These are just a few of many stand-out moments in this beautifully weird and poetic show.
Towards the end of Rear Vision, Angela’s haunting poem ‘How to Become a Ghost’ reminds us what we have become throughout 2020 and that we can’t go back from here. We can only take what we’ve learnt, try to not take so much for granted and to celebrate the beauty of art and how it helps us make meaning of these strange times that we live in.
I’m sure that whatever 2021 has in store for us, but I know Vulcana will be there to help us process through it as only they can. Whatever they come up with next, I’ll be here for all the feels it brings. Thank you Vulcanistas.
Image: Jacob Morrison
