Summary
Highlights
The concept for 'Infra' originated from the Latin 'C below,' aiming to explore what lies beneath the surface of a city and individuals. The 2007 London bombings deeply influenced the piece, as McGregor observed a profound shift in human empathy and connection during that extreme event, contrasting with the usual detachment of city life. This tension became a core idea for the work.
McGregor's research process often begins online, collecting diverse information and images that resonate with an idea. This foraging builds an 'imagination' for the work, rather than direct replication. The subject matter of 'Infra' is human, focusing on emotional territories and internal lives that people often conceal, aiming to reveal these on stage through powerful portraits of individuals and relationships.
McGregor employs various choreographic methods: teaching pre-developed material, extracting self-expression from dancers by treating them as 'architectural objects' for collaborative movement generation, and setting improvisational tasks. He views choreography broadly, encompassing lighting, set, and music design, where dancers interact with these elements. He values dancers who are curious and willing to experiment, fostering the evolution of ballet through exploration.
McGregor sought to build a movement language from pedestrian actions like walking, running, and sitting, developing them to be richer. This 'anti-ballet' approach contrasts with the highly coded and formal language of classical ballet. The aim was to create tension between universally understood movements and the extraordinary, expressive nature of ballet, allowing audiences to connect more deeply with the performance.
A key moment in 'Infra' features masses of people walking past an intimate scene of a solitary figure experiencing a breakdown. This amplifies everyday observations of private sadness amidst public indifference, creating a poignant effect. The ballet's structure involves vignettes of musical and physical material, gradually building complexity. It starts with simple motifs, allowing the audience's brain to adapt before introducing more intricate relationships, using elements like lighting to guide focus and structure the space.
McGregor collaborated with visual artist Julian Opie, whose minimalist style of depicting human figures inspired the street scene concept. For music, he worked with Max Richter, known for his electronic and orchestral compositions that evoke memory and emotion. Their creative exchange, often based on lines from T.S. Eliot's 'The Wasteland,' allowed the score to evolve organically. Lighting designer Lucy Carter and costume designer Moritz Junge, both long-term collaborators, were integral, ensuring costumes supported the dancers' extraordinary movements and the ballet's aesthetic.
McGregor emphasizes that ballet is a constantly evolving art form. Modern ballet dancers benefit from advances in sports science, leading to improved physicality, speed, and creative capacity. His style combines classical ballet with 'pushed' language, exploring degrees of freedom and complex coordinations where bodies 'misbehave.' This approach requires immense technical expertise to unlock new creative avenues, blending the known lexicon of ballet with an unknown alphabet to inspire audiences.
McGregor believes art should originate from personal vision, free from conventional rules. While emotional connection is vital, art can also be confrontational, prompting audiences to question perceptions and re-evaluate assumptions about dance and classical forms. The purpose of art is to provoke debate, stimulate imagination, and promote thinking, leaving the audience with lasting images and a sense of movement. He encourages audiences to focus on 'what do I see, what do I notice?' rather than seeking a literal meaning, becoming co-creators of meaning in the work.