Philippa Cullen was a leading figure in the early 1970s in the exploration of the interaction between dance, music and art in Australia.  Before her untimely death, at the age of 25, she had established an influential body of work enacting new synergies between dance, performance, technology and contemporary art.

Cullen pioneered the use of technology to develop performances where the music was created by dance and movement, rather than dance as a response to preordained music.  By using electronic technology such as pressure sensitive floors and a device known as a theremin the music in Cullen’s works would be created by the body movements of the dancers.

Curated by Dr Stephen Jones, video artist, electronic engineer, freelance curator and historian, in collaboration with Simon Lawrie, this exhibition brought together archival video footage and photographs of Cullen’s performances, alongside her writings and an interactive theremin installation.

Images: Dancing the music: Philippa Cullen 1950–1975, installation views, McClelland. Photos Christian Capurro.