When Body Draws the Abstract Space: “Slat Dance” by Oskar Schlemmer

“Slat Dance” is a ballet conceived by Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer in the 1920s. The main feature is a specific costume that connects poles to the body of the dancer in order to limit his movements, but also to underline the direction of the movements in space. In Schlemmer’s research, the poles refer to the lines which relate the human body to the abstract space around it; they are a visualization of “the invisible linear network of planimetric and stereometric relationships“.

At the same time, the costume turns the body of the dancer into an abstract figure, capable of describing space through geometry and movement.