Texture like Sun – Dublin Fringe Festival – Review

PERFORMANCE  – 13 September  – 20:00, €15/€13
OTHER PERFORMANCE  – 14 September  – 13:30, €15/€13
Venue – Samuel Beckett Theatre
Duration – 60mins

The production starts with three individuals slumped on a large sofa. The sofa is the only item on the stage, the rest is left completely empty and in darkness. One of the dancers starts to move, gently playing with a tiny pair of plastic hands. He starts to laugh at his actions, but his laughs turn to sobbing!

The piece then moves through a series of short sequences with the three dancers. At one point, we see two dancers squabbling over a water bottle. They roll and tumble on the ground, fighting and pulling at each other. Other sequences see all three move, occasionally falling into harmony, matching each other’s actions.

The piece is a new work by Choreographer Diarmuid Armstrong Mayock. It is his debut production as a choreographer and it is very impressive for his first work. Diarmuid has worked as a dancer with companies such as Attic Projects, Liz Roach Company and Cois Ceim.

The piece is visually quite striking, with a lighting plan designed by Matt Burke. The piece exists in a murky half-light, with only occasional blasts of strong light from the sides and above. The light focuses on whichever dancers are moving, allowing the others to hide in the darkness.

The other element is the live soundtrack to the piece, created by Dee Armstrong (Kila) and Lughaidh Armstrong (Sky Atlas), playing violin and guitar. Their music is reminiscent of a moody soundtrack to an American indie film, and at times called up images of Paris, Texas or other well-known soundtracks. They play over a recorded track, often featuring the sound of seagulls or children playing.

The name of the production ‘Texture like Sun’ comes from the song Golden Brown by the Stranglers. The writer of the song, Hugh Cornwell said that, “‘Golden Brown’ works on two levels. It’s about heroin and also about a girl… both provided me with pleasurable times.” This production is firmly based around the world of substance abuse, as we see these souls trapped in the highs and lows of drug abuse. The atmosphere is bleak and occasionally euphoric, as they fight and live for their next fix. With only three performances of this new work (one a preview), this production deserves to return to be seen by a wider audience.