Do you have to wear high-vis gear when you dance in a foundry? Australasian Dance Collective’s latest production, Relic, is being presented at Urban Art Projects at Northgate in Brisbane. ADC at UAP – it’s a meeting of the acronyms.
UAP’s foundry at Northgate is a hotbed (literally) of creation with an international reputation, a place where some of the most stunning public art globally is produced.
Lindy Lee’s massive Ouroboros, a sculpture which now graces the grounds of the National Gallery of Australia, was produced at UAP and shipped – or trucked, rather – from there to Canberra.
On site at UAP a couple of times to interview Lee and view the work-in-progress, I had to wear high-vis gear. That’s part of the fun of visiting industrial spaces such as UAP, but ADC artistic director and CEO Amy Hollingsworth assures me her dancers have received a high-vis dispensation. And besides, they will be performing at night when the foundry is quiet.
Hollingsworth, who has visited the foundry a few times to help prepare the ground for her dancers, says even at night the space resonates with energy.
“When you are in a space like that, which during the day is humming with energy and activity, you can feel it,” she says. “You can feel the residue of the industry. There’s still a potent energy in the room.”
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And what a big room it is – a vast cavernous space which, as well as hosting dancers, will echo with the voice of soprano Leanne Kenneally, who will trill a Bellini aria that will no doubt echo through what Hollingworth describes as a “cathedral -like” interior.
The last time ADC performed outside a traditional venue was at The Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley as part of the hotel’s groundbreaking Calile Culture program. The hotel is a major sponsor of the dance company.
Relic is a daring reimagining of choreographer and dancer Jack Lister’s award-winning Still Life film trilogy. It invites audiences to experience art in a site-specific dance theatre creation that defies the boundaries between performance and visual art.
In an unprecedented collaboration, ADC and UAP partner to present this immersive work. Crafted for the imposing UAP foundry, Relic explores the interplay of mortality, fragility, youth and spirit.
Inspired by the timeless themes of 16th and 17th-century still-life paintings and the haunting symbolism of the memento mori movement, Relic reimagines these age-old notions of mortality through the fearless spirit of – wait for it – motocross.
Imagine helmets for skulls, smoking rubber for snuffed-out candles and the inevitable heralding of the final lap for the sands in the hourglass.
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‘The piece captures the raw spirit and visceral energy of motocross’
“Jack’s take on this is incredible and imaginative,” Hollingsworth says. “It’s a challenge, how we tackle performing on concrete floors and putting them in motocross gear.”
Which poses the question: Can you dance while wearing a motocross helmet?
“It’s been interesting watching them try,” Hollingsworth says. “The piece captures the raw spirit and visceral energy of motocross.”
The short UAP season has been rescheduled due to a certain Cyclone Alfred. Hollingsworth describes it as “a happy miracle” that the company was able to pivot so quickly. If it had been at a major arts venue that would be trickier, but there are no other shows competing at UAP.
UAP co-founder Daniel Tobin has welcomed the partnership that will see Relic presented at the Brisbane foundry.
“We are extraordinarily proud to partner with the Australasian Dance Collective,” Tobin says. “At UAP, collaborations between like-minded creatives are our lifeblood and we’re humbled to host ADC and Jack Lister’s immersive take-over of our foundry and workshops.”
The industrial grandeur of the foundry will be transformed into a mesmerising journey of discovery. The audience will be led through the space and immersed in a collection of exquisitely crafted vignettes – each scene a momentary glimpse of the delicacy of life.
Hollingsworth says there is a “delicious dichotomy” in the event.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to present one of the most ephemeral art forms in a building dedicated to creating enduring art forms.”
Relic will be presented at UAP, Northgate, March 28-30.
australasiandancecollective.com/performances/2025/relic-2025