This grand scale production was created for the vast expanse of the Settlement Quarry located in Deer Isle, Maine. Quarryography involved a wide collaboration between Alison Chase and the dancers, Mia Kanazawa who created the large puppets and props, the Opera House Arts, the Island Heritage Trust (who owned and managed the quarry), Nigel Chase and his community steel drum band, and a volunteer intergenerational community cast which included Rick Weed and his industrial excavator.
The production was developed over a two year period, the first year dedicated to research and development and the second focused on polishing and clarifying our ideation. Each year, the audience grew in numbers, as did the depth of collaboration and learning. The project was also accompanied by educational outreach, including workshops for both adults and school children.
Created and directed by Alison Chase in collaboration with…
Mia Kanazawa, Puppetry and Props Designer
Nigel Chase, Composer/Musical Director
Opera House Arts
Southern Methodist University Dance Department
Island Heritage Trust
After nearly 30 years with Pilobolus, Quarryography marked the start of Apogee Arts’ practice of jumping out of the proscenium box and dissolving barriers between dance and other fields. This project grew Alison’s capacity for working closely with presenting and community partners to build and share work in non-traditional performing arts environments.
Said Sculpture Magazine of the work, “In this site-specific work, there was a true transformation of place (communal and specific) that occurred during the three days of the performance. The relationship of venue, artist, and audience was strongly established at the onset. The production would never be the same performed elsewhere, and the history of the site was now brought into a new present and presence. As audience members and as performers, the Deer Isle community had a living conversion - sons and daughters of local fishermen made up a large portion of the troupe. It is no small feat to break down old stereotypes and animosities. Opera House Arts, Chase, and Kanazawa understand the profound implications of rebirth. They are part of the change experienced by the region. As members of the resident community, they have deftly walked the line between encroachment and preservation. Whether it’s island fill reclaimed as a park, the Baths of Caracalla recast as an opera house, a deconsecrated church turned into a gallery, or the Settlement Quarry transformed into a performance space, history and place are fluid.”
“The story line was very much open to interpretation, with a compelling subtext about the relationship between environment and change. The forces of nature, history, and site became the lens for experiencing the production at its fullest.”
Read Janis Goodman’s review of Quarryography in sculpture.
You can also read Craig Idlebrook’s review titled, “Cableman boogies at Stonington quarry.”
The work was commissioned by Opera House Arts, supported by the Island Heritage Trust, and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maine Arts Commission.
Photos courtesy of Sculpture Magazine and Island Heritage Trust.
For additional information, please contact director@apogeearts.org.