As if No-one is Watching

The all-female collective, Vulcana, begin their part-performance, part-installation with 18 individual monologues delivered via smartphone app and digital design by Line 26. The 20-minute introduction takes place outside in the concrete space next to the Brisbane Powerhouse Stores Building. The performers repeat movements, carry out silent scenes, enact fragments – shards of their stories – while we voyeuristically wander and watch on, listening in to their thoughts online. These are hidden narratives, deeply personal tales of inner voices, mental insecurity, body image, relationships with food and alcohol, expectations, work, family, fear and freedom.

It is an intimate and easy way to introduce us to the multitude of ‘characters’ who then perform in the adjacent theatre for the next hour in an unconventional mix of voice, dance, movement and circus skills. The blend is backed by a haunting soundtrack by Sound Designer Anna Whitaker that could have only been more powerful with an element of live music. But that is a minor aside. There is a live vocal – the ethereal baritone of Velvet Pesu – and it works to melt and merge the individual pieces together in a Zen chant that contrasts with the frantic voices we have heard in the digital vignettes. 

Individual and group movement pieces illustrate the female form and growing strength – and what better way to show improved self-confidence and overcome adversity than through high-wire acts? The music is relaxing and the performance refreshing. This is aided by the variation of performers – women from different parts of Brisbane, aged between 20 and 70 years old, with an array of heights, weights, backgrounds and body shapes – lovingly highlighted in bright and muted circus colours in clever costume design by Kaylee Gannaway. The loneliness of individuals going through their daily routines while no-one is watching is turned on its head and becomes the joy of being yourself, unselfconsciously, as if no-one is watching. When the group comes together in a final bow, it is a gleeful celebration of self-love, changed perceptions and collective support.

Vulcana is a Brisbane-based women’s performance group founded in West End in 1995. Now based at the Powerhouse, the philosophy is the same – to create a safe space where women can explore their physical potential, participate in creative processes, and have the chance to experience personal revolution. The directors Celia White and Wendy McPhee have captured this axiom and it comes through loud and clear in the performance. It provides an extra layer of appreciation – the fact that the women are challenging themselves and overcoming personal fears adds to the enjoyment of the performance and makes the group finale all the more triumphant.

Beth Keehn