makes

Luke Pell is an artist who makes work through conversation with people and place. Working with words &/as movement to draw together seemingly unrelated constellations of bodies and thought their practice has taken form as site-specific dances with large ensembles for libraries; one-to-one’s on balconies, in broom cupboards, carparks and nightclubs; participatory walks and online artworks in response to the decline of biodiversity across the UK; a giant screen-dance for the ballroom of London’s Southbank and as creative/critical writing published by Intellect Books, Contact Quarterly, Live Art Development Agency and Performance Research Books. Each of these intimate encounters: poetic objects, installations, performances and writings are approached as choreographies, in print, online or in person.

Luke’s work has been presented throughout the UK and internationally including: Unlimited Festival Southbank Centre; LeithLate Edinburgh; Dance Base at Edinburgh Fringe; Dance International Glasgow and Take Me Somewhere, Glasgow; Dansens Hus Stockholm; E-Motional Romania; Cruising for Art at Anti-Festival Finland and In Between Time Bristol; Light Moves Ireland; Luminate Festival and StAnza International Poetry Festival, Scotland and I’m With You for Room of Requirement Berlin.

As a performer, Luke has worked with Helena Hunter and Pacitti Company; Rosemary Lee; Janice Parker and as a guest writer in James Ley’s Love Song for Lavender Menace at The Lyceum, Edinburgh.

Luke’s growing body of choreographic and poetic writing features in publications: In Other Words from Metal, the Live Art Development Agency and Necessity; with Lucy Cash in Dostoyevsky Wannabe Cities, Glasgow Edition edited by Colin Herd and Ruthie Kennedy; Dance, Disability, Law - Invisible Difference from Intellect Books and with Caroline Bowditch in Access All Areas - Live Art & Disability from the Live Art Development Agency.

Luke was co-editor for the Embodiment, Interactivity and Digital Performance edition of the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices and more recently for Fevered Sleep | Love and Not Knowing with Laura Cull Ò’Maoilearca - published 2024 - as part of Performance Research Books | Inside Performance Practice series.

"Over time I've described myself as maker, facilitator, dramaturg. At heart, I would say I'm a poet - engaged in choreographic thinking"

Luke is a regular companion in practice to other artists and arts organisations - as a dramaturg, facilitator, writer, researcher and in artist support. They have been Associate Artist with Fevered Sleep, Janice Parker, Dance Base and Dance Digital; Head of Learning & Research with Candoco Dance Company, Artist Support Programme Facilitator with The Work Room, Glasgow and a Research Associate with Claire Cunningham’s Professorship at HZT, Berlin.