Shift Construct at Now Gallery

Just outside of North Greenwich station the Greenwich Peninsula is an up-and-coming, vibrant area with food, drink and art open to the public. Florence Peak’s sculptural performance Shift Construct at Now Gallery merges contemporary art and contemporary dance to form this piece. The performance takes place both inside and out, making full use of the available space while drawing other spectators in.

Shift Construct is ideal for those who enjoy art and dance: Peak’s merging of the two mediums transcends simply questioning where dance ends and art begins, moving into a new genre entirely. Often with contemporary art forms it is largely down to audience perception of the piece – this is especially true for Shift Construct. The performance welcomes the audience to come and go at their leisure and explore the peninsula. Each spectator has different idea of what the performance truly explores and those there for the duration own a different idea still.

The piece is a playful movement of shapes, bodies and structures that requires unity between the performers. The sense of connection between them is clear through their outfits, a primary and secondary colour-inspired palate. The constant movement and sharing of space reflects the union while accentuating the distance between each other. The performers create their own playground with flatpack mirrored foil boards. At one point, out of nowhere, a fort is built and just as quickly comes down in a few swift movements. The constant construction and deconstruction of the structures reflects the nature of life, expressed by these interesting performers.

Hannah St Jean

Shift Construct is at Now Gallery until 27^th September 2014, for further information visit here.