This work was made on the unceeded lands of the Kaurna People.
We recognize and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to any first nations peoples in attendance.
This always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
COME INTO OUR WORLD
“I feel the words “contemporary dance” often conjure up a lot of mystery for people who don’t quite know how to engage with it, and I feel my job as a choreographer is to not only demystify that experience for people, but also show them that the mystery is what makes it exciting.
In this work, our mystery is human connection, intimacy and relationships, more specifically in relation to how for many queer people, that is a complex minefield to navigate. Working up the courage to express feelings of love and admiration for one another, platonically or romantically, is difficult when the examples you are given through society, media and politics weren’t made for you in mind.
So, to speak to those who may or may not understand this journey, we wanted to reimagine how we engage with our audience and bring them in as a part of the work. Drawing upon reflections of growing up queer, we sunk the themes into a mercurial world that shifts and morphs through memories and feelings with the help of some occult like figures and bedtime oddities. I like to think that this work is like those random memories that creep into your conscious right before you sleep then never return. This also extended to my creation of the sound score, which weaves these details into the fabric of its rhythms, arps and waves.
This show would not be what it is without Caroline and Fern, who have become purveyors of bravery in this work, but have also been the two key forces driving me and keeping me going. We wouldn’t be doing this without their insistence and their faith in me, they are always inspiring and the love I have for them both knows no depths.
I also want to say, if you enjoy any aspect of this work, if anything sparks your curiosity, then my one hope is that this work inspires you to get involved and invested in the work being made by young dance artists in Adelaide. I feel a great sense of pride being a South Australian artist, who is consistently inspired by my amazing peers, and I would love to see more people outside of our state get just as excited as we are about the work being made in SA.
I hope this work can bring you a space to reflect on the people you currently hold close, the people you once did and the people who were simply a fleeting vision of a completely different world.
We are excited for you to discover, to wonder and to ponder what happens when the lights go out.”
- Alix Kuijpers
THE PILLARS OF OUR CREATION
FERN MINES
Fern Mines is a South Australian independent Creator, Teacher and a 2023 Emerging Artist in Residence at Carclew. She graduated from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2021 from the Contemporary Dance stream. Since graduating Fern has enjoyed working in a variety of roles within the Arts sector, developing her performance skills as well as taking on education, production and technical roles.
Through her residency at Carclew, Fern co-produced At a Mansion in the Dark a dance development project culminating in a double bill, choreographing the first work of the performance, The Quadrille. She has also created a film titled SKIN for the Carclew SALA exhibition, co-founded Groundskeeping a series of regular classes for Adelaide independent artists and works as a workshop facilitator within the Stage Sparks community education program. Mostly recently Fern has returned from a professional development trip to Europe, taking workshops at Impulsetanz and Henny Juriens Summer School then working as a venue technician at Edinburgh Fringe.
This year Fern worked on three award winning Adelaide Fringe premiere projects. Notably, Biophilia, a multidisciplinary visual arts and dance work produced and co created by Fern in collaboration with Ahlia Sanders won the Sustainability Fringe award. Other achievements included; Shape of Play an interactive work Fern co-created winning Emerging Artist Award for week one, and 'i know the end.' which Fern is a performer in winning overall Emerging Artist Award.
“I think for me performing in this work is particularly meaningful because I feel like it’s a gift to my younger self. A shyer, less confident version who would be so proud of how much I’ve grown as a person and as an artist, and the confidence I now have in who I am and my sexuality. I will perform this piece for her and all the young people growing up working out where they fit in.”
– Fern Mines
CAROLINE DE WAN
"Working on ‘i know the end’ is a privilege for me as a dancer and queer person. Receiving the opportunity to explore my own experiences and share them in a comfortable space with an audience is unlike anything I’ve done before. I learn more from this experience every day, especially in creating a controlled environment.” – Caroline De Wan
ALIX KUIJPERS
Alix Kuijpers is an emerging freelance choreographer and sound designer whose queer based work has garnered a strong reputation for creating contemporary dance in South Australia. Kuijpers’ notable achievements include becoming the first dance honours student at a South Australian institution, receiving first-class honours from Flinders University for his solo work IMMATERIAL.
Alix recently spent time in the USA and Europe participating in major dance festivals such as B12 and Orsolina 28 and working with practitioners such as Jacob Jonas the Company and Thar Be Dragons. His most notable sonic commissions include creating the sound score for Motus Collectives work The Leftovers in 2022 and again in 2023, he also created the score for METTLE by Circus SA and for Ceremonial by Amelia Watson, which premiered at the ResiDanza di Primavera in Italy.
In 2023, Kuijpers was awarded a Best Dance weekly award for his Adelaide Fringe debut ‘i know the end’ and later in the season received the coveted Emerging Artist Award for Fringe 2023. Alix is passionate about representing as a South Australian artist and champions the emerging artist voice through his roles and initiatives as Dance Hub SA's 2023 Associate Artist and as one of Carclew’s 2023 Sharehouse Residents.
THE INHABITANTS OF OUR GALAXY
Created, Directed, Choreographed and Composed by Alix Kuijpers
Performed and Co-Choreographed by Caroline De Wan and Fern Mines
Produced by Fern Mines, Caroline De Wan and Alix Kuijpers
Lighting Design by Steven Durey
Mentored in development by Adrianne Semmens
Supported in development by Carclew, Dance Hub SA, Australian Dance Theatre, Tanja Liedtke Foundation, Goodwood Theatre and Studios, Zoe Gay and Felicity Boyd (Motus Collective)
Thank you to Matt Hirst and the team at Melbourne Fringe and the Fringe Festival Hub for this incredible opportunity.
Special thanks to The Adelaide Fringe, The Purvis Family, Belle Juhasz, The Kuijpers Family, The Madrid Family, Café 228, Leif Currie, Amanda Phillips, ACARTS, Sophie Hollingworth, Chiharu Valentino, Lisa K Lansi, Beth Mooney, Isaiah Fong, Kiara Ng, Wolfie Genesis and our beautiful audience.
This work is dedicated to the queer community.
