Brighton Fringe 2024
Only Bones V1.9
Matt Pasquet
Genre: Absurd Theatre, Acrobatics, Circus, Clown, Comedic, Contemporary, Dance and Movement Theatre, Devised, Experimental, Improvised Theatre, Mime, Movement, Physical Theatre, Solo Performance, Storytelling, Visual Art
Venue: Fools Paradise
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
One metre, one projector and one performer. Only Bones V1.9 does not disappoint as a piece of experimental theatre, delving further into the art of martial arts, circus and mime disciplines. Expect to consider the essence of mass on this planet, the invasion of small spaces and the reaction to this –sometimes your mass just doesn’t fit with the fundamentals of science. But keep going, have patience – and the values of Kung Fu will become evident. Premiering in 2022 as part of the Kallo Collective group, Matt Pasquet is part of this company as both a collaborator and performer. During twelve weeks of workshopping and rehearsals Pasquet has evolved the piece with Thom Monckton and Jenni Kallo. Hands – Feet – Feet – Hands; you will leave thinking about the alienation of specific body parts for some time. The precision of Matt Pasquet’s storytelling will leave you bemused and impressed due to the accuracy of his choreography and experimental approach to a small space – each performance feeling different to the night before with improvised ideas in the moment.
Tickets still available now, go along to see the experiment begin. You will never think about hands and feet as much as I did upon seeing this show. Pasquet’s performance is not to be missed!
Remaining shows at this year’s Brighton Fringe Festival: 24th May, 25th May, 26th May, 27th May, 28th May and 29thMay.
Review
I love walking into the unknown and this is how I felt about this piece, a silver plated sheet glistens under the subtle lighting, as we anticipate Pasquet is resting gently underneath. What transpires is the wait, the wait of a slowly diminishing mass of tin foil material, crumbling into the atmosphere as Pasquet engulfs this, to the point of evaporation. What follows? Some brief nudity, not taking himself too seriously, this beam of light travels to different points of Pasquet’s body, struggling to stay on tangible surfaces, the light bounces from his body to a large gauze. Here the audience get introduced to multiple configurations of hand shapes, evolving from the art of Kung Fu. A spectacle, both brisk and agile precise movements, allowing you to focus on the accuracy of the hands flexion and extension. The hands for me become clear characters, attached to complex muscles that desire to express themselves whilst Pasquet’s head is hidden still – yet to be revealed.
The hand, as the lone ranger inquisitively ventures to a forbidden circle of light, only to be consumed by other forces once close to their destination. This pattern is repeated for sometime, slightly different in placement of the fingers, shifting between tension. Each time the claw hand cannot enter this domain, the mass is consumed by heightened glossolalic words, dissolving into the existential atmosphere. These details really did stand out, as the movements remained in the confinement’s of the projection, all whilst Pasquet’s head was concealed from the audience. Some viewers may find this focus on hands to be somewhat laborious, as how often do we truly focus on the mechanicals of our hands and their muscular limits? I guess mainly in a domesticated/functional sense, but in this piece this is not the case, they feel integral to the story-telling, a welcomed freedom of movement that is both surreal and beautifully comedic. Understanding the meaning of the movement had less importance, rather what moments evoked different emotions and meaning to different audience members.
So many visceral moments to keep you guessing what tricks will be explored next – I particularly enjoyed the slow pouring of white rice grains that hit the surface of the metre of movement, sounding like rain amplified on the speaker. What followed was some experimental communicative call and response movements with Pasquet’s feet and hands, with these body parts still being the main vessels of the story telling. As the rhythms within this episode intensified, we began to see most of the body in conflict with oneself – trying to escape the space and move through this area. The constraints of the projections begins to open up here as we see the body in full motion, shifting and evolving into different technical fixated poses. Within the Kung Fu discipline, each person must learn the fundamentals of energy through the movements, allowing patience for what life has to offer. To get there, everything takes time. Through watching Pasquet’s physical form you appreciate the internal and external forces of narrative within his martial arts and the undeniable dedication to his craft. In moments of inner turmoil, he demonstrates in abundance that patience, resilience and persistent will combat any self saboteur or external negative forces – even when you are running out of time or faith.
