Shortcuts to Familiar Places explores how movement language and ideas evolve through systems of bodied transmission. In this work James excavates the lineage of his mentor Ruth Osborne, tracing back to the early 20th Century Modern Dance pioneer Gertrud Bodenwieser and the Ausdrucktanz (Expressionist dance) movement.
Hyperspace is a solo performed by James Batchelor in intimate theatres and unique found spaces. From the human body to the cosmos, Hyperspace is an inquiry into the metrics we use to measure the deep unknowns of the universe. It proposes a study of the human body seen through the prism of cosmology, a mapping of the universe within and around it. It premiered in Bassano del Grappa in 2018 and was presented in Dance Massive in Melbourne 2019 before extensive touring in Europe. It was chosen as an Aerowaves work in 2019, a prestigious European mobility platform for independent artists.
Redshift is a full-length work, originally commissioned by Chunky Move as part of the Next Move program. Redshift is a queer universe in which measurement systems are troubled by the unmeasurable. It stems from a curiosity in touch, physical sensation and speculation of the unknown from body to space. The work is the second in a trilogy that grew from James' unique opportunity to combine scientific and artistic inquiry in one of the most remote places on Earth.
Deepspace is a multidisciplinary work that investigates arts and science as methods of inquiry into the unknown. From the immediate source of the body through to visual and sonic translations, Deepspace examines processes of searching for, collecting and ordering information that we use to understand the universe. In this work, the body is located between the extremities of remoteness and proximity, connectedness and isolation, certainty and uncertainty.
Proscenium is a work that researches and expands the choreographic and spatial tools for the proscenium stage. In Proscenium, the theatre itself is a performer. Its equipment and mechanisms such as the lights, speakers, curtains, ropes, rails and ladders are all theatrical devices that are subtly manipulated in the work. Amidst this graceful movement of architectures emerges a new cosmic dance.
Alien Intimacy speculates on the movement of an interpersonally constructed alien sensibility where the visible and the invisible or the physically embodied and the virtually disembodied intertwine. The distance between human and alien (or body/self and object/other) expands and contracts as the performers locate themselves in a nearby, inter-netted spacetime when “alien” recalls and navigates away from imageries more essentialized, such as the cinematic extraterrestrial.
Metasystems is a performance series that evokes cycles of construction through a rhythmic landscape of moving bricks of varying quantities and scales. Since its original conception as part of the inaugural Keir Choreographic Award in 2014, the work has now seen many iterations around the world in theatres, galleries and public spaces.
Faces is a collection of images and movement originating from the letters and items left behind by James' great grandfather. It deals with the face as a surface of both the physical body and abstract identities. The work spans the dichotomies of past and present, intimate and distant, the faced and the faceless, ultimately returning to the fragility and impermanency of the human body.
Island combines dance with interactive design and live sound to immerse the audience in a futuristic world of remote utopias. Island was created in 2014 in the context of James' Dancehouse Housemate residency and won the Green Room Award for Concept and Realisation.