Obscura at HOME
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Obscura
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Company Chameleon’s choreography asks a lot of its performers. It’s athletic, demanding and risky, but also socially alert, carrying ideas that are often difficult to sit with. Obscura, a new double bill at HOME, brings both of these demands together in a show that explores the hidden corners of self and society.
The first half, Umbra – Latin for shadow – turns inward. Performed by a trio, it investigates the desire to be understood, focusing on the parts of ourselves we withhold from others (and maybe even ourselves) in order to belong. The movement shifts between delicacy and force, reflecting the gap between what we feel and what we allow to be seen.
Refuse looks outward, to migration, asylum and displacement. Inspired by Géricault’s The Raft of the Medusa, it follows five performers on a precarious search for refuge, drawing on the lived experiences of asylum seekers and displaced people. Movement replaces narrative explanation as the work engages with themes that are often simplified – or dehumanised – in public debate.
Obscura also marks a return to theatres for Company Chameleon, and a reimagining of choreography originally created for outdoor performance. The shift indoors allows the company to work with time, tension and atmosphere in greater detail, with lighting taking on a heightened role in shaping what’s revealed and what remains in shadow.
Founded in Manchester in 2007 by Kevin Edward Turner and Anthony Missen, and based in Openshaw, Company Chameleon have built a reputation for work that balances striking physicality with social urgency. Reviewing one performance, The Guardian described the company as “beautifully revealing… unforgettably good” – a neat summary of what they do at their best.
