BODIES OF SILENCE
The Silent Collection enters the body.
The Silent Collection began as a collection of sculpted characters belonging to traditions that never existed.
Bodies of Silence is the next step.
What happens when these imaginary beings leave the wall and enter the human body?
I want to explore this question through dance, sculpture and performance.
A mask changes the body.
It can restrict vision, alter breathing, shift balance, transform posture or hide expression.
These constraints become the starting point for movement.
The dancer does not simply wear the mask.
The mask begins to shape the dancer.
THE RESEARCH
Bodies of Silence is conceived as a dialogue between sculpture and movement.
A dancer encounters a mask.
She moves.
The movement reveals something.
The mask changes.
The body responds.
The process continues.
Sculpture → body → movement → sculpture.
The final form is not predetermined.
It emerges through the encounter.
A LIVING COLLECTION
Each mask carries its own physical language.
Some may create fragility.
Others power, imbalance, anonymity or something no longer entirely human.
I am interested in discovering how these imaginary beings might move, rather than simply representing them.
The collection becomes a group of bodies.
A silent community.
A civilisation that never existed, finally brought to life.
THE LABORATORY
Bodies of Silence is an evolving project.
This page will document its development through photographs, sketches, experiments, fragments of movement and new masks.
The Silent Gallery is not only a gallery.
It is also a laboratory.
A place where imaginary traditions can continue to evolve.
THE NEXT STEP
I am looking to develop the project with dancers, choreographers, performers and creative institutions.
The first stage will explore the relationship between the physical properties of the masks and the movement of the body.
The project is intended to develop through residencies and collaborations, particularly in Belgium and Montréal.
MARC NIS
Sculptor • Mask Artist • Storyteller
The Silent Collection
Every tradition begins with a story someone chose to believe.
