Absent

Commissioned for IGNITE 09 at the Royal Opera House, the piece responds to Thomas Ades' Powder Her Face, the brilliant waspish opera based on the life of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. Absent is on a smaller scale than our previous works; the piece is an intimate walk-in installation combining film and live performance that transports the audience simultaneously to the beginning and ending of Margaret’s story.

 

"There was one standout piece: Dreamthinkspeak's Absent was deftly adapted to its setting. Using film, mirrors, actors and decor, this performance installation managed to suggest a whole bygone world haunting a short corridor. One alcove looked as if it had a mirror, but didn't. You stare into it and the shock of not seeing your own reflection was palpable: who was the ghost here? "Today was worth it just for that," said one woman as she emerged from the alcove, mirroring my thoughts." The Guardian

"a tellingly detailed combination of film and live performance." The Times