distorted beauty
About Distorted Beauty
A performer is at the centre of a living portrait while competing descriptions unfold around her. As two versions of the same self contradict and overlap, Distorted Beauty questions what we see, what we show to the world and which version gets to be true.
Inside the Performance
At the centre of Distorted Beauty are two performers and two perspectives on the same person. One gives voice to how she is seen from the outside; the other to the voice within. As the two accounts unfold, the gap between them shifts, exposing the tension between appearance and internal experience, and raising questions about beauty, self-perception and the experience of being seen.
distorted beauty TRAILER
Distorted Beauty in your space
Distorted Beauty is a compact live-art work that can sit within a wider programme or form part of an audience journey through a space. Its loopable format allows audiences to encounter it briefly, stay for a full cycle or return to it as they move through an event.
| In Your Space | At a Glance |
|---|---|
| Adapt to your programme – present as a one-off performance or allow the work to loop in spaces where audiences come and go | Standalone or loopable performance |
| Create an intimate experience – two performers bring internal and external perspectives into close focus | Flexible audience configuration |
| Add a compact performance – can stand alone or sit alongside other performances, exhibitions or activity | Standalone or complementary performance |
| Spark conversation – beauty, self-perception, and the experience of being seen | Performance + workshop/discussion potential |
Further possibilities
Distorted Beauty can move between conventional performance settings and spaces where audiences encounter work more informally. Its compact, loopable format creates possibilities for presenting it alongside exhibitions, events or other performances, as well as as a standalone piece.
We’re interested in working with partners to explore how Distorted Beauty might sit within different spaces and wider audience journeys.
Previously presented at: Manchester Art Gallery, The Whitworth, and DaDa Fest International at Tate Liverpool.
Content & sensory information: Distorted Beauty deals with beauty, self-perception, expectation and being seen.
Could Distorted Beauty work in your space?
Talk to us about your space, programme and audiences, and we’ll explore how the work could fit.
Credits
Created by Kelly Hoye
Produced and presented by Uncurbed Collective (formerly Proud and Loud Arts)
Performed by Kelly Hoye | Callum Rose | Carly Ryan
Trailer: Phil Smethurst, Manchester Lights Media
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