A body in space - Aurea Romero working with Peter Downsbrough's AND HERE

Twice a week during Peter Downsbrough’s installation AND HERE at CHELSEA space, a series of open rehearsals are taking place exploring spatial relationships between the human body in motion and the artist’s work. Dancer Aurea Romero receives choreographic notes and prompts from curator/choreographer Anna Manubens in Barcelona and a film document is made of Romero’s interpretation of the suggested choreography and her intuitive movements in response to Downsbrough’s placement of lines, texts and pipes within the space.

The films of the rehearsals are watched back by Anna Manubens in Barcelona , and then further choreographic suggestions and notations are sent to Aurea Romero to try out in the next rehearsal at CHELSEA space. The rehearsals are taking place from 1-4pm every Thursday and Saturday throughout the exhibition, culminating in two days of rehearsals on Friday the 9th, and Saturday 10th of December when Peter Downsbrough will return from Belgium and Anna Manubens will return from Spain to rejoin Aurea Romero to continue the dialogue and the choreography in CHELSEA space.

Peter Downsbrough last showed in the UK in 1973 at Jack Wendler Gallery and CHELSEA space displayed the catalogue for that exhibition as part of Dematerialsed: Jack Wendler Gallery 1971-1974 brilliantly curated for us by Teresa Gleadowe. We were greatly honoured that Jack Wendler’s co-publisher of the seminal 1968 XEROX BOOK and major influential figure in Conceptual Art, Seth Siegelaub, paid a visit to Downsbrough’s show this week.

Siegelaub has not visited CHELSEA space since Ping Pong Dialogues : Bill Beckley curated by Jo Melvin in 2008, he was thoroughly engrossed in Downsbrough’s installation and enjoyed an interesting discussion with dancer Aurea Romero about the development of this choreographed body/space project with Anna Manubens and Peter Downsbrough.

Seth Siegelaub has not been the only person to engage in a discussion with Aurea in the past week and amongst many recent visitors were Laure Genillard who curated Aftermath: Objects from Projects at CHELSEA space this year, and David Tremlett, whose site-related wall drawing Drawing For Free Thinking at Tate Britain was the subject of a recent CHELSEA space public talk between Tremlett, artist Stephen Farthing, and Tate’s Andrew Wilson.

We were also delighted to see Rock Fashion giant Lloyd Johnson this week whose eagerly anticipated exhibition, curated by Paul Gorman, will open at CHELSEA space in late January.