Image: Simon McClure

Gravity & Other Myths

Ten Thousand Hours

We’re Gravity & Other Myths but our friends call us GOM. We are one of Australia’s most acclaimed arts companies of the last decade; inspiring audiences, empowering artists and connecting communities worldwide. Our work celebrates humanity, play and physical virtuosity. It is bold, cheeky, daring and innovative, a true product of the company that creates it.

We are the only South Australian arts company of our size with such prolific and far-reaching output. Since GOM was founded in 2009, we have premiered eight acclaimed works presented in 37 countries to audiences in excess of 700,000; a testament to the experience of our leadership team and vision of our artists and key creatives.

We pride ourselves on making work for all people. The diversity of our portfolio allows us to straddle multiple worlds in the arts sector, from grassroots community programs and commercial ventures, to prestigious festival invitations.

GOM exists at the cutting edge of our art form. The sophisticated conceptual and physical investigation in our work has propelled us into a new genre of live performance, challenging circus as an artform and existing beyond its confines.

    ABOUT THE PROJECT

    Ten Thousand Hours is a celebration of the pursuit of mastery.

    Eight elite acrobats investigate physical skill; how we obtain it, how we perfect it, and how it can transform our lives. Stylised depictions of physical disciplines are juxtaposed by real attempts of daring acrobatic skills that are just out of reach for the ensemble, embracing failure as an essential step in the journey to success and revealing the humanity for which Gravity & Other Myths (GOM) is renowned. Through highlighting the nuance of high-level acrobatics, audiences experience a heightened appreciation of the countless hours required to master the skills they are witnessing.

    Our smallest scale work, A Simple Space, has been presented over 1,000 times across 34 countries to audiences in excess of 300,000 over the past ten years, easily making it the most prolific work in our portfolio. The secret to the success of A Simple Space lies in its versatility, scalability and ‘simple’ premise. Ten Thousand Hours revisits this recipe, honing the craft GOM has pursued over the last decade to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor while embracing the evolution of our artform.

    At GOM we cherish community and connection. This new work allows us the opportunity to tour to many of the venues that have come to know and love A Simple Space. We see this as a chance to reconnect with old friends among presenters and audiences, and provide employment for a new generation of circus artists.

    At its core, the work is a revelry of the distinct physical language that defines Gravity & Other Myths. It is a tribute to the dedication required to become a world class acrobat:

    An ode to time, sweat, and sacrifices.

    A love letter to our bodies.

    An invitation to watch us work.

     

    This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body and the Office for the Arts through the RISE fund; and the Government of South Australia, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure through Arts South Australia. It is co-commissioned by Chamaleon Theatre Berlin, La Strada Graz, Gluttony and the Adelaide Festival Centre.

    Jascha Boyce
    jascha@gomcircus.com.au