Trailer edited by Sophia Mai Wolfe
Music by Gonu Kim (xxiv / Chimerik 似不像)

A compilation of 30+ FORMations videos shared by our community of movers on Instagram between September 8-10 - edited by Tamar Tabori

F-O-R-M took place in the digital space for a second year in 2021, co-presented by SFU Woodwards’s Cultural Programs.

The festival featured movement-based films by youth and emerging artists, sharing exciting expressions and intersections of movement and film that embody community and culture. F-O-R-M 2021 included 20 short films from around the world, 9 world premiere short films from our 2021 Commissioned Artists, as well as artist talks, workshops, technology and interaction, and our signature FORMations filmmaking jam.

visual design by flory huang


Commissioned Artists

Youth Category

Sevrin Emnacen-Boyd - AION

AION refers to a concept developed by the philosopher Gilles Deleuze which denotes "the indefinite time of the event, the floating line that knows only speeds and continually divides that which transpires into an already-there that is at the same time not-yet-here, a simultaneous too-late and too-early". It refers to a time-sense that is outside of Chronos or the chronological, linear, everyday measure of time which both organizes and is organized by "normality". These twin concepts demonstrate that time is anything but neutral, and that it organizes our perception of reality and our visions of the future.

The film AION plays with the conceptual disruption of Chronos by molding together both forward and reversed movement while creating an ulterior continuity between night and day. It is a dance that refuses the constructed time-sense of the everyday, one that is instilled in us by capital and has remained mostly imperceptible for many until COVID-19. As we edge closer to normality, AION serves to remind the viewer of the possibility of constructing time and ultimately our lives outside of "the normal" that drove us here in the first place.

AION was co-commissioned by Co.ERASGA + Tara Cheyenne Performance


Alger Liang 梁家傑 - motherland

when the body is broken
and continues to walk without
pause,

it mourns for stillness.

the body makes ground
and wounds open
again and again
and again
and again.

at this moment,
somewhere in the world,

bees return to hives
birds to nests
tides to shore

and one day,
my body comes home.

In motherland, a grieving boy moves through liminal spaces, queering time as he simultaneously embodies the past, present, and future.

to view this film, Please email tamar@f-o-r-m.ca for the password.


Danielle Mackenzie Long - Shouldering Intervals of Desire

Universally sharing the exact sensation of time passing is impossible. Days of extreme chaos may seem to exist for a mere second, while a single moment of stillness can feel bottomless, never ending.

Be content with moments of quietness. Allow yourself to observe the mundanity you see for the minutes that pass over you. Slowly, SHOULDERING INTERVALS OF DESIRE reveals itself as a visual vault depicting the accumulation of my many aspirations, which have all been influenced by the relationship I hold between time and life. As circumstances in my life change, my relationship to time shifts drastically, as do my ambitions and desires. Some have become irrelevant because that desire’s lifespan has run out. Either I have simply outgrown the idea of it, or I convinced myself it is no longer of interest to me since I care too deeply about it to bear the thought of not being able to reach it.

Surrounded by an abundance of options, the extreme ambition to pursue many paths, and the overwhelming reality of having to make decision after decision I shift between existing in reality with my thoughts to the courtroom of my mind

Trying to wait. No rushing.
Debating between ideal scenarios
Negotiating among myself
Confronting my wildest aspirations
Pursuing it unapologetically

There will be many turning points to come in my life. SHOULDERING INTERVALS OF DESIRE is merely how I am navigating the current moment of great change and decision I face.

SHOULDERING INTERVALS OF DESIRE was co-commissioned by New Works


Amanda Sum + Justin Calvadores - Wide Stance Dance

In WIDE STANCE DANCE, two Asian-Canadians confront their internalized smallness, and finally learn to take up space through humour, dance, and wide stances.

WIDE STANCE DANCE was co-commissioned by Company 605


Siam Obregón + Kyana Lyne - Roca Morena

ROCA MORENA: Under the tutelage of the Moon, a rock woke up and began to dance.
Bajo la tutela de la luna, una roca despertó y se puso a bailar.

ROCA MORENA was co-commissioned by Wild Mint Arts

to view this film, Please email tamar@f-o-r-m.ca for the password.


Cindy Ansah

Cindy Ansah is a dancer, choreographer, instructor, actress, writer and filmmaker playing, creating and collaborating in Mohkínstsis on Treaty 7 Territory (colonially known as Calgary). Her choreography has been presented in the Quick + Dirty Festival, IGNITE! Festival for Emerging Artists and Fluid Festival with her written work featured on The Dance Current, Springboard Performance and Alberta Dance Alliance. As a multi-hyphenate artist and recent graduate of the University of Calgary BFA in Dance degree, Cindy’s current aspirations are to nurture her artistic curiosity through multidisciplinary collaboration.

 

Emerging Category

Sophie Dow - Mountain Duets

MOUNTAIN DUETS is a circular ritual illustrated through movement. We follow an individual that falls into a chaotic haze, losing sight of balance and stillness. This solo mover is a symbol of both independent and collective consciousness. They’re a representation of all we go through on micro and macro scales; testament to the cycles of the building, tearing down and rebuilding of humanity. From the dark place, the individual calls upon ancestral archetypes and wisdom of Turtle Island to journey together - a moving alliance, between human and internal mountain - reminding us of our deeply rooted strength, resilience and reciprocity to each other and Mother Earth.

MOUNTAIN DUETS was co-commissioned by Wild Mint Arts


Sebastian Hill-Esbrand - Booty Freedom

BOOTY FREEDOM is a dance community that celebrates self-expression through booty movement and dance. We follow the journey of Rozelle, a BOOTY FREEDOM frequentist, who must navigate through the rooms of the Booty House to discover her authentic self. The film is told with an inclusive and intersectional lens that decentralizes the male gaze; resulting in an empowered and liberated portrayal of the womxn within the community.


Emma Morris - Baby Teeth

"so I named the creature Loss and named the home ______
"

BABY TEETH witnesses a woman navigating abstracted memories of loss through physical manifestations. Using contemporary dance, the woman explores contrasting landscapes in a dream-like reality of grief. As she invites fragmented memories to the surface, they come to life, allowing her to dance with her recollections. Accompanied by a cello soundscape, BABY TEETH is a glimpse into the journey of making peace with the past, dancing alone with loss, and finding repose in the water.


Mirusha Yogarajah - மனசாட்சி (HEART IS A WITNESS)

In மனசாட்சி (HEART IS A WITNESS), a young boy looks for love from his older self, while seeking sanctuary in nature.


ARTIST MENTORS


Technology and Interaction Artist

Daria Mikhaylyuk

F-O-R-M 2021 featured the Opening of the Venus Art Gallery, curated by Daria Mikhaylyuk. Read about technology and interaction throughout F-O-R-M’s history here.

Festival Events

Festival Screenings


Our Supporters

We are incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from funders, partners, sponsors, and individual donors—without them, F-O-R-M 2021 would not have been possible. F-O-R-M 2021 was supported by:

Studio Support for Commissioned Artists

Atelier254 and Chapel Sound Art Foundation
Future Leisure (45W and Gold Saucer)
Hop Bop Shop
What Lab