Tyngdspegel

About the exhibition

Adèle Essle Zeiss creates visually stripped-down performance works and installations that accentuate the presence of the human body in space. As a viewer one finds oneself in a spatiality with people who perform the work in concentrated silence. The space is charged by slow movements and simple objects that clarify the subtle gestures performed by the bodies. In recent years, Essle Zeiss has taken an interest in the experience of the weight of a body and how systems of balance are stored in our bodies and operate independent of our volition. During last year, her work has been centred on how we affect and are connected to one another.

At Accelerator, Adèle Essle Zeiss presents a new series of performances comprising three “tyngdspeglar” (“weight mirrors”), in addition to a trio of older works, one of which will be performed on one occasion outdoors on the Stockholms University campus. Each performance is unique and influenced by numerous factors, most importantly the interaction in the group. Each individual’s interpretation of the choreographic instructions affects the movements of the others and how the work unfolds at that precise moment.

Works in the Exhibition

Tyngdspegel Skifte (Shift), 2021

Six people work in pairs. Each pair is connected to each other by a rope attached to their chests. The rope runs through a block in the ceiling. When one participant lies down, the other is pulled into an upright position. The performance begins with everyone lying down, before raising each other up in a simultaneous choreography until everyone is standing upright.

Duration: approx. 30 mins. Performed at 2 pm on Saturdays.

Tyngdspegel Gång (Walk), 2021

Four people walk with closed eyes. Ropes run through blocks in the middle of the group between their knees and chests. When a person backs up, the other is pulled forward. In order to maintain the rope taut and the blocks in the air the group must interact in a simultaneous movement.

Duration: approx. 30 mins. Performed at 3 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Tyngdspegel System (System), 2021

Three people lie on the floor. Linking various body parts, several ropes go straight up to the ceiling from each body. The ropes run through blocks in the ceiling and then directly down to another body. When a body part is raised in one body, it is lowered in another.

Duration: approx. 30 mins. Performed at 2 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Statolit, 2017

Three to four people balance seated on suspended planks with sacks of concrete as  counterweights. Statolit is part of the collection of Moderna Museet (Sweden).

Duration: approx. 1 hour. Performed at 4 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Fält (Field), 2019

Four people balance lying on suspended bars. Three people adjust the counterweights of sacks of concrete.

Duration: approx. 2 hours. Performed at 3 pm on Saturdays.

System för att flyta och sjunka (A System for Floating and Sinking), 2021

Adèle Essle Zeiss and three collaborators create a system in which body parts are linked with broken buckets by ropes and blocks located in the branches of several trees in the Stockholm University campus area. By filling and emptying the buckets with water the bodies are raised and lowered in a process beyond their control.

Duration: approx. 30 mins. Performed outdoors on the Stockholm Universite campus area (Frescati) at 4:30 pm on the 28th of October.

About Adèle Essle Zeiss

With origins in dance and choreography, Adèle Essle Zeiss’ art practice manifests itself through physical experimentation in collaboration with dancers. Essle Zeiss (b. 1983, Stockholm, Sweden) trained as a dancer at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and received a master’s degree in art from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm in 2018. Essle Zeiss’ performance works have been presented at among others MDT, Haninge Konsthall, Konstparken Ulvhälls hällar (SE) and Den Frie Dansehallerne (DK). In 2020, Essle Zeiss was artist in residence at Iaspis, Stockholm.

Credits

Adèle Essle Zeiss, Artist

Participants:
Dan Johansson, dancer 
Gabriella Antonsson, dancer
Hanna Åhs, dancer
Louise Kvarby, dancer 
Mari Carrasco, dancer 
Maria Öhman, dancer  
Nea Landin, dancer
Sofia Sangregorio, dancer 
Stacey Aung, dancer
Yari Stilo, dancer

Exhibition team Accelerator
Richard Julin, Curator and Artistic Director
Therese Kellner, Curator
Erik Wijkström, Exhibition Technician

The artist wishes to thank:
Pär Sandström, S:t Erik Markutveckling AB
Swedish Arts Grants Committee
Swedish Arts Council 

Accelerator wishes to thank:
Trädmästarna AB