ines.destruhaut@gmail.com
@inesdestruhaut
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Pepper Spray is a two-screen dance video installation that explores emotional fragmentation through movement, rhythm, and immersive sound. Set in a white limbo, the work follows two women, two versions of the same self, mirroring and diverging through choreography, editing, and intense sound build-up.
Anxiety becomes a partner in the dance, shaping the rhythm of the body and the atmosphere of the room. Rather than resolving inner turmoil, Pepper Spray invites the viewer to physically and emotionally resonate with it, to feel it, move through it, and leave changed.
DANCERS:
DOMITILLE DEMARET
FLEUR DE SCHEPPER
OLENA ANANIEVA
PETRA KRUSELJ
PHILIPPA WERNER
ANOUCHKA TERNEUS
ZINA DESIPRIS
The two screens represent internal parts of the same self in dialogue. The sound design is central, it doesn't just fill the space, it vibrates through it, physically guiding the audience through an emotional and bodily landscape. The installation does not aim to resolve tension, but to let viewers feel it fully.
Each drop triggers a new movement sequence, guided by a soundscape that shifts from ticking clock to diverse ambient layers, then evolves into loud, pulsing techno.
The performance unfolds as an exploration of time and emotional process. Showing the feeling of extended longevity of a short wave of emotion. The feeling of being trapped into our own inner turmoil forever.
The dancers move through waves of isolation, intensity, and connection, a cathartic journey that culminates in military, like unison, marching back and forth in sync with the beat.
In the final moment, the silent character rises, spins and spins, for some minutes which seem to be endless. A soft, meditative sound plays. The four dancers end up embracing the spinning character still, offering rest, resolution, and shared breath.
Performers:
OLENA ANANIEVA
PHILIPPA WERNER
ANYA SBITNEVA
FARA VERHOEVEN
INES DESTRUHAUT
The choreography is guided by an evolving soundscape, tickings, ambient tones, and heavy techno, played through a surround sound system that immerses the audience in emotional waves. The space is minimal, with no separation between performers and audience, allowing viewers to feel physically and emotionally embedded in the unfolding journey.
Rencontre explores the act of meeting as a gradual and fragile process shaped by distance, perception, and projection. Two performers share the space but are initially separated by light, darkness, and mediated vision.
One performer moves in front of a camera, entering an intimate, almost solitary journey of self-discovery, while the other encounters their presence only through a fantomatic projection. This mediated encounter gives rise to mirroring, desire, and recognition, as each performer begins to see themselves reflected in the other. Through movement and image, Rencontre questions how intimacy can emerge before physical contact, and how identity is shaped through seeing and being.
Rencontre is performed by Domitille Demaret, a professional dancer , and Inès Destruhaut, an artist with a background in visual arts and performance. Their collaboration brings together distinct artistic practices to explore encounter through movement, perception, and live video.