conversations in ten questions 62: Eleanor Perry & Daniel Hay-Gordon (Thick & Tight)

What is the essence of performance in your opinion?

For us performances are essentially about entertaining. We want the audience to feel something, whether the performance makes them laugh, disturbs them or makes them feel sad. We want to move people by connecting with them.

Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How?

Yes. Think of the world without art. How it would sound, look, feel etc? To create or connect with art, is to transform therefore we are constantly transformed by it, more so if we are open to it. Essentially it is a way to understand and feel life.

When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works?

Funnily enough, when we are together, say on tour and see one another first thing in the mornings, we always talk through our dreams. Eleanor’s always having these huge surrealist dreams which I love to listen to. They certainly influence what we talk about that day but no, dreams don’t directly connect into our work. We talk often about what we are interested in at that time, i.e. what we are reading, watching, listening to, our political opinions, our thoughts on society. These ongoing conversations are often cyclical and at a certain point we both realise that we want to go beyond talking between us or within our group of peers and create something.

When do you decide to give a title to a work you are working on if it already does not have one?

We love titles and coming up with them. Sometimes we concoct a title first and then build a piece around it. Which ever order the title comes in, we always want to it to be a great one.

Are there any artist or person whom you think influenced your art most? And if there is such an artist or person, who?

Our work exists because we are influenced by other people therefore it’s impossible to say if there is one such person. When we are working on a specific piece we may find ourselves studying on person in particular and focusing on them for a period of time. We love doing this. You end up feeling a great deal for them and feeling like you are living with them. One of the joys we feel about continuing our work together as Thick & Tight is the knowledge that we will be continually learning and being influenced by a range of people and subjects.

When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist?

We believe in equality and liberty. Our identity as two queer people is fundamental in how we work and how we interact with people, institutions and politics. In this world we need to be both caring and kind but also able to stand up, stand against and therefore stand out. To live with pride and live in solidarity with others.

Thick & Tight is defined as a queer dance company; could you please share with us your definition of queer?

Queer was an offensive slang term used in Britain to belittle and bully people that were seen as different, either because of their gender or sexuality. Queers have taken that word and now wear it as a badge of honour; proud to be different and most importantly, proud to support others who face oppression.

If you had to translate Thick & Tight into a single sentence, what would that sentence be?

High art meeting low art.

What does ‘Fringe’ signify for you?

A place on the outside of the mainstream in theatre. A place for new work and experimentation.

What would you like to say to the Istanbul fringe audience?

Please say hello to us after a show and let us know your thoughts. Please also write to us by DM at @thicktightdance . We would love to hear from you. Also, give us recommendations of things to do and see while we are with you!

[The Turkish version of this interview was published in unlimited.]