A dying art

The Dying Swan is a recreation of Anna Pavlova’s most famous performance by Laurie McDonald. Laurie revitalises the ballet in an authentic manner, achieving humour and arti stic representation through this authenticity. The ballerina (Laurie) is seen struggling to perform on a frozen lake, stumbling and slipping throughout her performance. Along with the tape, a paper copy of Laurie’s Curriculum Vitae, which covers her employment history from 1973 until 1981, was found amongst Jack’s archive. Like Jack and the Videoheads, Laurie employed video, art and dance to produce her original work, often collaborating with other visual artists.

On the 22nd October 1981, Laurie showcased some of her latest work at The Bank, Amsterdam, the Videoheads studio space which was open to the public. We are able to restore, preserve and bring awareness to this otherwise dying archive of heritage, through the Dig HLF funded project.