Précis — Acts of Devotion: Featuring Janette Hoe
Acts of Devotion is a live durational performance featuring dance artist Janette Hoe, commissioned in connection with the residency project
سخن دل Sokhaneh del—language/speech.
The project examines the idea of ‘devotion’ or, more rightly, samimiyat صمیمیت, its widened meaning in the Persian-speaking world and, as inspired by the poetry of beloved thirteenth-century master poet Maulana Jalal al-Din (Maulana) /Rumi.
It’s an idea that encompasses a deep commitment to authentic friendship, conversation, love, community and the search for the authentic self and the divine - qualities that lie at the heart of much classical Persian poetry.
The project features multi-channel sound work, community singing and performance by Aarti Jadu, painting, drawing and community making by Inbal Nissim, and mixed-media works on paper by Javad Kashani.
Presented in three parts over three months, سخن دل Sokhaneh del has been conceptualised to invite fervent engagement of the ear (Part 1 گوش بده ‘listen’), eyes (Part 2 خاموش Khamoush / Silence ), and body (Part 3 The path to samimiyat صمیمیت).
In each part, the project has showcased different installations that allow audiences to inhabit and experience correspondences as a devotional space – and the artworks within it as devotional objects.
In keeping with the core principles of samimiyat, the idea of a devotional space and its objects is expansive—encompassing one of rest, connection, and care for the community through deep listening, looking, meditation, conversation and group-based singing and making on-site.
Acts of Devotion is presented in connection with the third and final part of the project, The path to samimiyat صمیمیت.
Extending the project's examination of devotion into the realm of dance, it's an invitation that acknowledges Maulana/Rumi's passionate commitment to dance, specifically the practice of sama, or whirling, which, together with music and silence, he saw as the path to samimiyat.
In her response, Janette will move to the sounds of Aarti's multi-channel sound work, Embodiments, which has featured in the exhibition space for the project's duration, providing a conceptual thread between the three parts of سخن دل Sokhaneh del.
Her movements will examine the idea of devotion and the sense of place on-site at correspondences, drawing inspiration from the sound and visual art practices in the room and the presence of audiences, their bodies and shared sensations.
The starting point for Janette's work is what she describes as her 'strong interest in the psychophysical and archival body', an inquiry that reaches beyond words and is grounded in her longstanding practice in the dance-theatre artform of Butoh and somatic movement-based improvisation modalities of both Eastern and Western origin.
As Janette elaborates:
Drawing from embodied history, lived experiences and memories, my intention is to find connecting points to the world through the senses and sensations. The struggle to connect solely with words has enabled me to develop, over time, a practice that extends into visual, gestural, and material components, that add to my artistic expression and connection to place.
—Choreography, Costume & Performance: Janette Hoe
—Sound: Embodiments, 2024, multi-channel sound work, site-specific, 1 hour, looped. Aarti Jadu
—Visual artworks featured: Inbal Nissim and Javad Kashani
—Concept, Set, Lighting & Production: correspondences
—Photography: Weiying Lu
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Artist Bio
Janette Hoe (Naarm/Melbourne) is a dance artist who is curious about whether dance can open dialogue across cultures, drawing from her own specific experiences to invoke response from others. Her aim is to celebrate stories and share knowledge through collaborative exchanges with artists and audiences.
Janette’s practice is grounded in the dance-theatre artform of Butoh and somatic movement-based improvisation modalities of both Eastern and Western origin. She has a strong interest in the psychophysical and ‘archival’ body. Drawing from embodied history, lived experiences and memories, her intention is to find connecting points to the world through the senses and sensations. The struggle to connect solely with words has seen Janette develop, over time, a practice that extends into visual, gestural, and material components, that add to her artistic expression.
Identifying strongly with her hybrid Malaysian-born, Chinese-Indonesian heritage her work explores the liminal space of shifting identities and multiple belongings. Her recent endeavours focus on the psycho-physical/psycho-emotional effects of the female ageing body at significant thresholds of transformation.
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Credits: The image of Janette pictured is by Damian Vincenzi. The second image is an installation view from Part 1 of سخن دل Sokhaneh del, picturing the painting of Inbal Nissim, which remains on display for the performance. It was photographed by Emily Weaving.
