Ana Barbour’s  Rope, Rock, R… investigates and plays with various materials like a rope, wool, a stone, and experiments with the qualities of these often oppositional and complementary props. She does this with a virtuosity and variety of ideas, aesthetic and controlled use of movement which is a pleasure to watch.

From the first moment of the opening image when Ana slowly starts to move her arms, while sitting against the vertically suspended rope until the final embracing of the rope and gently moving towards the audience to join and connect, I am enjoying the story that is unfolding, feeling carried through the images, and happy to be left with my own associations, as Ana gives the audience space and time to connect.

I have a curiosity about the simple little adjustments and shifts into a new image which Ana masters very well. She plays with the weight of the rock and the entanglement of the rope. Simple movements become significant and gain weight while shifting from 2-D (projection) to 3-D (movement).

Ana has a good intuition how to let an image unfold, while she and her moving body in a long cream coloured dress is part of the whole, using projection and the 3 dimensional material, sound and brilliant use of space and time.

Ana’s experience, playfulness and sense of timing give her the confidence as performer that draws me into the performance from beginning to end. I am fascinated by the beauty and dreamlike imagery and enjoy the depths and lightness of the piece.

Elisabeth Spight

August 2017