Defying the Clock

Melisa Ertuğrul presents the debut of Defying the Clock, a piece of contemporary dance choreography performed in the living room of the artist’s own house during the COVID-19 lockdown in Turkey.

Time and Space are relationally constructed and inevitably interconnected. They are also of importance for feminist ontologies and epistemologies that have long challenged the binary oppositions which strength the hierarchical, oppressive, and manipulative design of the male-centred world. Building upon the tension between the linear/objective organization of time/space and the cyclical/subjective perception of time/space, my work aims to show how the female lived body and its temporality at the home space defies the universally accepted operation of masculine time. The body is challenged by the public space-centered ticks of the clock, and responds to them with an uncompromising and unruly manner that centers on the collective care-based organization of time in private space. 

Please click here to view the performance.

Background music
Bonet, Kadhja. “Intro: Earth Birth”. The Visitor. Fat Possum/Fresh Selects. 2016, track 1. Spotify. open.spotify.com/track/4mSKRxdLpMKMzcsYnqFKxg?si=TiH645ixQ-6BUaNhxhmcrw 

Artist bio
Born in 1993 in Turkey, Izmir-based dance artist Melisa Ertuğrul studied music at high school, received a bachelor’s degree in acting, and has focused her art on urban dance and contemporary dance since 2018. She loves interdisciplinary and eclectic approaches to dance. She is into feminist phenomenology, philosophy of body and dance, and history of performing arts that inspire her work in progress. She lives and works in Izmir, Turkey. 

Contact
e-mail: melisaertugrull@gmail.com
insta: melisaeylul

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This is the ninth in our Feminist Everyday Lockdown Blog Series. Lockdown is a feminist issue, and sharing stories is a feminist practice. We are calling for further contributions to the CHASE Feminist Network blog on everyday feminism and lockdown. This includes creative, political, and personal reflections! In light of the current political situation and protests against the physical and structural violence of racism we particularly welcome blogs from BAME individuals.  Full details here

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