Following the international success of their acclaimed duet Slip, Rebecca Jensen and Aviva Endean continue their collaborative exploration with Slop, a visceral sequel that plunges into a submerged, murky world of sound and movement, premiering at Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre. If Slip was about falling out of sync with reality, Slop revels in the overspill.
Part of Darebin Arts Speakeasy, Slop explores a world saturated by digital excess, consumption, and environmental precarity, conjuring an unstable, gurgling terrain of bodies and sound. A digesting of our present moment and a confrontation with the invisible systems that ensnare us, the work asks the questions: Who do we trust? How do we make sense of non-sense?
Conceived in 2024 before Slop became the word of the year, the work considers the cultural atmosphere of “AI slop”, acknowledging the recent flood of confusing signals that shape contemporary perception. Within this messy, boggy terrain, the artists explore entanglement, attention, deep listening, and deep watching.
This new performance work draws audiences into a nexus where bodies and sonic textures entangle, creating a dynamic environment that is both unsettling and curiously moving – finding meaning in senselessness and beauty in what could be perceived as disgusting or stupid.
Jensen and Endean have developed a reputation for bold interdisciplinary work that pushes the boundaries between performance, music and live art. This new work extends their formal investigations and further develops the leftovers (the slop) from touring and developing Slip, while responding to a shifting cultural landscape. Slop deliberately foregrounds both artists, visually and conceptually, challenging the convention of a single lead voice and collapsing the roles of dance and music.
On stage, tactile materials such as mud and water generate unpredictable environments for sound and movement. As the performance unfolds, these materials are manipulated live, transforming foley techniques into an immersive, evolving composition.
Creative Team
Performer/Choreographer: Rebecca Jensen
Performer/Composer: Aviva Endean
Sound Engineer/Operator: Alex Mraz
Lighting Designer/Technical Manager: Alex Nguyen
Costume and Set Designer: Romanie Harper
Creative Producer: Anna Nalpantidis
Rebecca Jensen is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher born in Aotearoa and based in Naarm. Her work ranges in scale and medium, including performances for theatres, galleries, and unconventional spaces, as well as participatory projects, community events, and films. She works through dance, utilising its equally speculative and practical qualities to encourage reflection, sensory recalibration, connection and transformation. Rebecca has presented work in Tempo Festival Auckland 2024, Nelson Arts Festival 2024, FRAME Biennale 2023, the Kier Choreographic Award 2016/2022, Front Beach Back Beach 2022, CONTACT HIGH, Gertrude Glasshouse 2021, Blindside Gallery 2021, Experimental Dance Week Auckland 2020, College Dance, La Biennale di Venezia 2018, and Dance Massive Festival 2015/2017. Since 2013, Jensen and Sarah Aiken have co-directed the participatory dance project Deep Soulful Sweats. Alongside this, her teaching work is an integral part of her practice and feeds her enduring interest in how movement is embodied, transmitted, and cited. She was a 2015 DanceWEB scholar, Australia Council Cité Internationale des arts resident 2020, Resident Director of Lucy Guerin Inc 2023 and is a Gertrude Contemporary Studio Artist 2024 – 2026.
Aviva Endean is a clarinettist, composer, and performance-maker dedicated to connecting people with one another and with their environment through attentive listening. Her creative practice opens up possibilities for collaborations, transcending the traditional in favour of a dynamic artistry which embraces the unfamiliar. Whilst deeply steeped in music, her vision extends beyond her primary art form to expand ways in which sound can be experienced and understood, and to discover new forms of expression that reflect the here and now. Aviva has developed a profile as a significant force in Australian contemporary music. Her solo music has been released on Room40 (Lawrence English) and SOFA music (Norway). She has collaborated with many of Australia’s leading organisations, including Australian Art Orchestra, Chamber Made, Chunky Move, Liquid Architecture and ELISION.
Performance Dates
13 – 23 May 2026
Wed – Fri 7.30pm | Sat 2pm & 7.30pm
Venue
Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre
189 High Street, Northcote
Tickets
$38 Full | $30 Conc. | $33 Darebin Residents | $20 Preview | $10 Blak Tix
About Darebin Arts Speakeasy
Since 2013, Darebin City Council’s Speakeasy program has invested in contemporary dance, circus, theatre and multi-disciplinary work that speaks to issues that matter to the community, celebrates cultural diversity, and reflects the times we’re living in. Darebin Arts Speakeasy offers audiences a dynamic and diverse mix of shows from Melbourne’s best performing artists. To create each production, artists receive an impressive package, including investment, marketing, publicity, and technical support, as well as space to rehearse and present their work at either the Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre or the Darebin Arts Centre.
Image credit: Image by Nano Banana Pro in collaboration with Rebecca Jensen. Original image by Sarah Walker (Slip 2023).
