BEJART

The practice of seventeen years of ballet often feeds Ophelia Jacarini’s work. This work is named after acclaimed French ballet dancer and choreographer Maurice Béjart.

BEJART is a series of installations made of delicate kinetic embroideries depicting dancers on a see-though fabric.

The delicate kinetic woks were shown in unusual architectural locations in eight countries. Each piece is created with cotton rope overlaid on a transparent fabric to procure a sense of constant motion. Showcased in construction sites, empty buildings and other architectural spots, each installation was open to the environmental forces  – becoming a temporary part of the local environment, with the wind acting as choreographer.

Each embroidery is reflecting a pose from the traditional dance of the previous country where BEJART installation was done. Using photography as a witness of each installations in eight countries, Ophelia Jacarini later developed a special printing technique that incorporated a motion effect within the framed series.

The embroidered dancers portrayed in BEJART are like fleeting works that begin to fade seconds after they have formed. Animated by the wind, the moment of its performance is same as the moment of its disappearance. 

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Captivated by endless aesthetical and formational possibilities of the human body, BEJART acts as a reflection on the time passing and the impossibility of repeating a moment.