Performance by Florence Peake in which large, exuberantly painted canvases are folded, dragged, and suspended by five dancers, moving between flat and sculptural forms and theatrical elements of concealment and revelation.

Florence Peake, FACTUAL ACTUAL Ensemble, installation view at Southwark Park Galleries, London (2023) Performer Rosalie Wahlfrid. Photograph: Mischa Haller/© the artist

The performance treats the canvases, painted by Floence Peake, with a joyful irreverence, extending the relationship between dance and painting. Unpicking the romantic representation of dance in classical painting and its idealised depiction of the body, Peake looks at the idea of the collapse of the canon of white Western classical painting through the literal manipulation of the large canvases as they are collapsed in form, addressing institutional power structures by looking for ways in which we can overcome them. After the four performances, the canvases will remain as an installation in the space until 29 October 2023.

Rehearsal Director - Katye Coe
Performers: Charlie Ashwell, Iris Yi Po Chan, Katye Coe, Eve Stainton, Nikki Tomlinson, Rosalie Wahlfrid
Choreographic support: Eve Stainton
Studio and Production Manager: Jim Tuck
Producer (performance): Nikki Tomlinson

Co-commissioned by Southwark Park Galleries, London, and Towner, Eastbourne, in partnership with Fruitmarket, Edinburgh. This touring commission is made possible with thanks to Arts Council England, Cockayne – Grants for the arts,  London Community Foundation, The Paul and Louise Cooke Endowment and Ada’s Circle.

Sponsored by Harlequin Floors.

Development supported by Somerset House Studios, La Becque Résidence d’artistes and Wainsgate Dances.