Project 72 - A Resting Mess
20 July - 5 August, 2023
54 Moray Place, Dunedin
Daisy Sanders
Images: Justin Spiers
Property Partner: DCC Property Services
A Resting Mess was the culmination of Daisy Sanders 6 month residency as the Caroline Plummer fellow with Otago University, Divison of Humanities, Performing Arts.
Daisy invited the public to gather, rest and become a part of a communal reflection in the low-fi landscape of sourced, tactile ‘mess’. Daisy used her installation of recyclable items, dance events and performance collaborations to pose questions. “How do we rest and take care of one another amidst the mess we are making of our world? How can dance help us become more present in our bodies, ‘arrest’ the speed and distress we are collectively experiencing, and build more healthy, sustainable communities?”
A Resting Mess stems from Daisy’s decade-long journey through endometritis and chronic fatigue, and the healing she has found through dance. Her practice is built around deep listening and permission. Through a process of respecting the call of rest and riding waves of changing internal energy, Daisy’s practice is playful, nourishing, accessible and crucially, sustainable. It has enabled her to return to and continue her work as a dance artist and creative leader.
Daisy’s research intersects dance, performance making, health and community building - through a somatic and choreographic artistic approach. In A Resting Mess Daisy creatively explores what it is to rest deeply and wrestle with the ‘mess’ and pace of our lives.
Special thanks to project partners: Dance Ōtepoti, Stitch Kitchen, Otago Daily Times, Res.Awesome Dunedin waste