Spirit Labour

Hugo Glendinning and Adrian Heathfield

In this visual essay, Glendinning and Heathfield follow the creative practice of sculptor and performance artist Janine Antoni: her collaborations and conversations with the choreographer Anna Halprin and the writer Hélène Cixous. Spirit Labour traces the lines of connection between these artists inclined toward elemental exposure and non-human forces. The film asks: what kind of labour is it, to work communally with the bodies, movements, expressions and affects of others, to dedicate one’s lifework to the othering that issues from these relations? How might we think of these labours and affinities as forms of infrastructure?

41 minutes (linear screening or continuous loop)
Featuring: Janine Antoni, Anna Halprin, Hélène Cixous
Directed and Edited by Hugo Glendinning and Adrian Heathfield
Original Music and Violin by Aisha Orazbayeva
George Philipp Telemann, Fantasie No. 10 for Violin Solo, Largo, performed by Aisha Orazbayeva
Voice: Sophie Gueydon
Camera: Hugo Glendinning
Text: Adrian Heathfield

Spirit Labour was originally commissioned by freethought for Bergen Assembly 2016. For information on gallery screening contact emma[at]adrianheathfield.com.

Spirit Labour Anna Halprin. Photo and ©: Hugo Glendinning, 2016.