Alexander Ekman is undoubtedly one of the rising stars of the contemporary dance world. In his short career – he is yet to see his 30th birthday – he has produced over 30 pieces and has worked with dance companies all over Europe and as far afield as Australia. Though the adjectives ‘surprising’ and ‘unexpected’ are often used to describe his work, I’m still a little incredulous that I’m talking to him about a piece commissioned by the flooring company Bolon. But only at first.
When entering Bolon’s installation at the Snickarbacken 7 boutique, the success of their collaboration with Ekman and Beckmans College of Design is immediately apparent. Three-dimensional sculptures made up of cubes, staircases, and 90° angles are gently lit to highlight the subtle shades and patterns of the Bolon flooring. Whilst the predominant colour is undoubtedly grey, the installation succeeds in feeling warm and welcoming. Projected onto walls and incorporated into the sculptures through TV screens is Alexander Ekman’s film, The Contradiction of Silence and I was lucky enough to get some time to talk to Alexander about this unexpected (there’s that word again) partnership.
Born in 1984, Alexander Ekman’s route into the dance world was conventional enough. He began dancing at an early age and is quick to acknowledge how important the support of his parents was in his early studies. These would in turn lead to an education at the Opera Ballet School in Stockholm and a dance career with the Royal Swedish Ballet and Sweden’s Cullberg Ballet company. It was after 16 years of, in Alexander’s words, “that whole ballet thing” that he realised it wasn’t for him. When asked what it is that turned him off about ballet he is quick with the response that “there’s a right and wrong and everybody already knows what these are.” Ekman is also unafraid to say just how disinterested he is in classical ballet, observing that “the tempo of Ballet is completely different from where we are today.”
It was perhaps the overexposure to the perfection and repetition of ballet that set Ekman on the path to creating his own pieces at such a young age. Although his first experience of choreographing came during his studies in Stockholm, it was during a workshop with the Netherlands Dance Theatre that his originality, talent and unique style were first really noticed. He has been working with them ever since, creating internationally acclaimed works such as 2010’s Cacti. Why did he go down the choreographer route? He says it is self-evident – “I tried it, and I liked it.” However, he quickly becomes more effusive when talking about how creating works makes him feel.
“To hear the response of the people, to hear a reaction, to hear the buzz, the appreciation and excitement. That feeling’s kind of overwhelming and it’s something I’ve really become addicted to. But at the same time, it’s of course really scary to have so many eyes on your work.”
It’s this last remark that leads me to ask Alexander about how this unusual collaboration actually came about. It is certainly not immediately clear why a choreographer in such high demand as Ekman would choose to work with a flooring company. He admits to being resistant to the idea at first, not responding to their approaches for over a year. Alexander is eager not to have his name associated with commercials and is not shy about expressing his disdain for tv adverts. Though when asked what is was that finally got him over his resistance to working with Bolon he’s ready with a mischievous chuckle, wryly answering “well, they bought me a really nice lunch.” Of course, he goes on to say that there’s a bit more to it than that. He was surprised not just by Bolon’s willingness but their obvious enthusiasm to grant him his principal request; a completely free hand in creating the work. “I liked their courage in daring to do something like this and taking such a creative risk – that’s exactly what I stand for in my own work” he says.
It’s at this point that we’re joined by Annika and Marie Eklund, the two sisters behind Bolon. It’s clear that they are thrilled with the work Alexander has produced for them and that the installation has succeeded in its ambition of creating a highly artistic yet accessible exhibition with their flooring at its centre. As our conversation goes on it becomes even more obvious that this collaboration between Bolon and Ekman, as unlikely as it may sound, was always going to work. It was the “artistic, humorous yet still very edgy and cool” nature of Ekman’s work that first attracted them to him says Annika. She goes on to explain that Bolon has a culture of making bold choices and risk-taking, seeing Alexander’s philosophies as a perfect match to their own, even if they find themselves working in rather different contexts. Annika and Alexander have very good memories of that first lunch meeting with it taking less than fifteen minutes for Ekman to describe it as feeling “as if the sky was the limit.”
The film resulting from this first meeting is easily representative of Ekman’s work. It’s a precise yet playful mixture of dance, editing and percussion set to a soundtrack of rhythms created by Bolon’s weaving machines and the dancers juxtaposed with silent sections, each emphasising the other. At first glance it is easy to mistake it for a typically po-faced piece of contemporary dance but within seconds Ekman’s trademark humour and downright silliness becomes apparent as dancers sip from martini glasses made from the Bolon flooring whilst a couch potato sits on a Bolon couch watching TV with his hand down his pants.
It is certainly a bold move from Bolon to have commissioned this piece, but when I ask Annika, Marie, and Alexander why they feel people should come to see this installation all three express the same opinion: they hope it will give people a whole new way of looking at Bolon, perhaps even inspiring other companies by showing them “just how far out of the box it is possible to think.” Bolon’s installation showcases their new Silence Collection and is being displayed until Friday February 7th at Snickarbacken 7. It is, in our opinion, certainly one of the highlights of Stockholm Design Week.
The Show(room) is being exhibited at Snickarbacken 7 until February 7.
Words by Denny Way
