City of Glass, is an interdisciplinary exploration of text, movement, sound and objects. Drawing inspiration from the West Coast ‘wellness’ movement, this project investigates the isolation and dissociation of contemporary commodification of the body, using the climate-controlled skyscraper (colloquially known as glass coffins) as a symbol of both containment and display. Tracing connections between the incorruptible bodies of Catholic saints, to the fitness models trending on social media, the commodification of the human form is dissected. The value placed on beauty, youth and stasis, collapses time. Person becomes object, becomes image; disintegrating into pixels that maintain their perfect clarity forever.

Premiere Date and Venue/Location: March 2021, Mile Zero Dance, Dance Crush Series

Length in minutes:
50 minutes

Choreography, video, sound and text by: Julianne Chapple
Performed by: Maxine Chadburn
Industrial design and videography by: Ed Spence

Available as live performance, video or digital livestream