In terms of age, the art of dance and the art of photography are at different extremes. The former is a very, very old (if not the oldest) genre of performing arts, while the latter came into being 13 years before the word ‘photography’ was coined in 1839. Yet, both have a complementary relationship. Imagine how enriched ‘dance’ would’ve become when the first photographer captured it in a candid, absorbing moment.
This is precisely why an exhibition organised by the Goethe Institut, Karachi, at its gallery titled, ‘Frozen in time, dance photography’ generated a great deal of interest in lovers of both art forms. And they thoroughly enjoyed the display. It cannot be said with certitude when in Germany dance photography was first experimented with. What can be said, with a great deal of assurance, is that in the late 1920s dance photography was a rage in the country.
The trend has continued and photographers in the 21st century, not to mention those who were born in the 20th century and are to date working wonders with the camera, are making dancers come across just as animated as they do while performing.
The exhibition features works of nine or 10 photographers, all of whom are known well in their country. It begins with, sort of, Andrea Esswein’s nine images of a dancer/choreographer. On surface it seems that the subject is not moving and the pictures are of a static quality. It is not so. On a closer look it becomes clearer that there are certain gesticulations, albeit subtle, involved here. The artist is trying to put across the message by making the pictures look simple.
The display is not just about gestures and moves. It also tries to capture the ‘body’ of the dancer while she is in the act or about to do it or has rounded it off. This is nicely exemplified by Agnes Noltenius who gets a closer look of the dancer’s body. It is not the complete view though. The body is seen in parts, yet conveys the whole feeling.
Bettina Stob goes for the moving shot, that is, she tries to grab the moment in which not just one but three dancers are immersed in their act. The remarkable feat that she’s able to achieve is that even while they’re moving, the three performers give the feeling as if they’ve been actually frozen in the air. However, the gesture indicates that even in their stationary positions they exude energy.
Benrd Uhlig goes for a different kind of mood. He does not see dance as a clear as day art form. There’s an element of haziness in it. This implies that dance is not as simple a genre as some might think. Therefore Uhlig makes the viewer see the dancer in a blurry situation, which is not at all devoid of aesthetics.