Human Measure

Human Measure, Cassils’s first piece of contemporary dance, is rooted in their knowledge of kinesiology, martial arts, sports science, and photography to reinterpret Yves Klein’s Anthropometries paintings.  

Relevant to the moment, against an unprecedented backdrop of anti-trans legislation, Cassils collaborates with internationally renowned choreographer Jasmine Albuquerque and five transgender, gender non-conforming / non-binary movers. Rather than appropriate Judo, as Klein did, Cassils draws inspiration from self-defence and personal safety movements, where intersectional representations press back against narratives surrounding trans bodies and athleticism.  

Differing from the passive, cisgendered female models used in Klein’s work, the marks made by performers in Human Measure reflect a process of empowered labour. Beyond the artwork itself, Cassils intentionally builds care into their process gifting the dancers with somatic workshops and release techniques to be better equipped for a society that does not value trans embodiment.   

The work dovetails with Cassils’ continued investigations of deconstructing the language of photography, with the theatre transformed into a dark room, lit only by red “safety lights”. This ambiance connotes sirens, blood, red light districts and the history of photography.  The stage is set with a large piece of cloth treated with cyanotype solution, and as bodies slam against the floor during the performance, blasts of light expose the traces of the performing bodies, making live photograms. The work concludes when the fabric is detached from the floor, dunked into troughs of water and then hung for the audience to view. Dripping in liquid mixed with perspiration, a cyanotype develops live in real time before the audiences’ eyes: a brilliant hue of blue marked with the outline of fallen bodies.