Ponder over UNHEIMLICH’s dream like journey with co-creator Tarryn Gill

After four years since its first creative development, UNHEIMLICH is poised for its world premiere from 22 September 2021. Commissioned by PICA (Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts), this ambitious, multi-faceted work blends visual arts, movement and theatre, offering an unmissable chance to witness a group of stellar WA artists at the top of their game.

We recently caught up with Co-creator Tarryn Gill to find out more about her collaboration with Katt Osborne and the main ideas that they explore in this new work.

The word “Unheimlich” is a Freudian term. What does it mean to you?

The word Unheimlich references Sigmund Freud’s essay about The Uncanny. It translates to “unhomely”- the experience of something that is familiar and comfortable becoming frightening or distressing in an instant. I’ve been interested in the concept of the uncanny for a long time and I think my artworks tend to hold dualities in this way: funny and frightening, comfortable and uncomfortable, conscious and unconscious.

UNHEIMLICH unveils the hidden and unknown. What underlying messages does UNHEIMLICH hold?

UNHEIMLICH is set in a domestic space using the home and a relationship as a site for the uncanny or for horror. The show is still being developed as I write this but I think it’s a reflection on how when we go into a relationship, it acts as a mirror to our whole selves, including the parts you don’t want to see. Our shadow selves can quickly become apparent when in close quarters with another person. There is a lot of history and individual trauma we bring into our relationships.

Over the past year, we’ve become re-familiarised with the home environment and partners in intimate and possibly claustrophobic ways. Does the work have a special resonance in 2021?

I think the work could be particularly resonant at the moment given that people have been spending a lot of time in their homes. I know there have been spikes in domestic violence and mental health issues. Being contained in a domestic space means without many external distractions, you definitely are confronted with yourself whether you want to be or not. It’s definitely an environment where relationship issues can become magnified.

You’ve worked across multiple disciplines in your career. What’s it been like, especially in this work, to adapt and translate your soft sculptural practice with live performance?

The materials and processes I use for making my sculptures were inspired by the way Jim Henson’s puppets were made, so I guess it’s sort of a full-circle moment. That said it’s a very different thing to make pieces that are functional and get worn during a theatre show, to making objects that sit untouched and static in a gallery space. Early on I had assistance from Andy Cross and Fleur Kingsland from WAAPA to help me refine the mask I was making and to make them as ergonomic as possible. The foam and fabric I use are quite lightweight so it translates well in terms of being worn and manipulated.

What are you hoping the audience will leave with after experiencing UNHEIMLICH?

I hope that it’s a dream-like experience for the audience. I hope they find it funny AND uncomfortable. I hope they relate to and become fond of the characters we have created. It’s truly such a joy working with this team of fun, brilliant, highly skilled humans – I hope that comes across.