A COVID-era dance short directed and performed by choreographer Jody Sperling, Single Use is a meditation on the nature of disposability and resuscitation. Sperling dons an outfit fashioned from over 150 reclaimed plastic bags to romp and roll down an abandoned stretch of Broadway. Skittering and careening across the asphalt, she transforms into blossoming organic forms.

Director Statement

“I shot Single Use during the COVID-19 pandemic when the city streets were eerily empty. The costume is made from plastic bags that were accumulated by myself, family and friends over many years. We all share in the blame for this proliferation and we can all be part of the solution. Plastic pollution is akin to a global pandemic that has contaminated the whole earth, making ourself and our planet sick. In the video, I don my plastic outfit while gazing longingly at the disposable fashion displayed in a locked storefront. On the streets, we often see plastic bags take flight on their own. In this case, my romping and rolling along the pavement animates the bags which spring to life, suggesting the blossoming of organic, or viral, forms.”

Credits:

Direction/Choreography/Performance/Editing: Jody Sperling
Music: Matthew Burtner
Costume: Lauren Gaston
Director of Photography: Angela Hunter