BLOT (Body Line of Thought) | @Tangaj Collective (RO) | FLOW5

We are strong and fragile, interconnected systems of sweat, muscle, and microbiome. In BLOT, our bodies are redefined through an exploration of our coexistence with microbiological beings. The performance is inspired by our own anatomy, using the language of the body to create states of repetition, fluidity, compassion, and empathy.

Stripped of the social meanings determined by language, movement becomes a transitory presence and an intersubjective experience that opens the way to new understandings. Images of bacteria cultivated from the dancer’s bodies and dunes of salt reveal the invisible systems that connect us to our biome.

BLOT asks us to consider how to live in a world of fractured identities, distance from nature, and the ongoing climate crisis. The result is a reminder of our interconnectedness despite our differences in identity and microbiology.

BLOT is a collaboration between dance artists Simona Deaconescu and Vanessa Goodman that started in 2020 and premiered in late 2022. The project’s research began in a residency at Cultivamos Cultura in Sao Luis, Portugal, following the selection of the two choreographers as resident artists in the Biofriction, a European BioArt project. The show was presented in Romania, Canada, Poland, Sweden, Bulgaria, and Mexico. 

Created by Simona Deaconescu & Vanessa Goodman
Performers: Simona Dabija, Maria - Luiza Dimulescu
Music: Monocube
Artistic consultants: Olivia Nitis, Marta de Menezes
Object design: Ciprian Ciuclea
Light design: Marius Costache
Photo: Adi Bulboaca, Teodora Simova

*Co-produced by Tangaj Collective, Action at a Distance, The National Centre for Dance in Bucharest. Co-funded by The Administration of the National Cultural Fund, The Canda Council for the Arts. Supported by Cultivamos Cultura, plastic orchid factory, Biofriction.