Fringe 2015 – Excavate – Edments Building – 3K

By Tom Eckert

If you are going to see Gareth Hart’s Excavate, do so with an open and welcoming mind. This is not your traditional performer – audience relationship.

Standing atop the roof of the Edment’s building in Gawler place you are greeted by both the elements and the view split three ways of the hills, the rooves of the East End and an expanse of the tree carpeted parklands. This in itself is quite a delight as it is not an experience often afforded to us.

You will find yourself barefoot, standing and sharing a space with the performer who awaits you prostrate. The performance itself is an interpretive representation of both a macro and journey simultaneously portraying elements of the individual and the species. This is complemented by the adjunct of some technical media which serves to crystallise some of the progression.

The use of constant ambient music and the ceaseless flow of movement serves to create a sort of wash; at worst this flattens any contrast which can result in a sense of sensitisation, but at best develops a rhythm that generates the atmosphere.

At its core, this is a sensory experience more than a performance piece. Between the shifting light of the descending sun and Hart’s choreography, a space for guided introspection is created.

Kryztoff Rating: 3K