‘A sacred kind of feeling’: Performance explores the intimacy of the ultrasound experience

On Thursday, Sept. 26, a special collaboration between the University of New England Art Galleries and Portland’s SPACE Gallery brought the deeply personal experience of medical imaging into the public eye through the performance piece “Ultrasound Dance.” 

Directed by Maine artist Amelia Garretson-Persans, the event explored the emotional terrain of ultrasounds and other internal medical imaging, combining light, choreography, and music to offer an evocative portrayal of these often-private moments.

“‘Ultrasound Dance’ is a project I conceived of years ago about the experience of watching ultrasounds, or any kind of internal medical imaging, of someone you love dearly,” Garretson-Persans said. “You sit in a quiet, dark room, with a glowing trackball, and it has a sacred kind of feeling … a contemplation of what it means to love and be mortal in this world.”

This sentiment permeated the performance, which took place at SPACE Gallery, accompanied by original choreography from Dana Dotson and a musical score by Michael Huff, a medical doctor and longtime collaborator of Garretson-Persans. Both solemn and mesmerizing, the piece used movement and sound to mirror the emotional complexity of medical imaging — the hope, the fear, and the profound powerlessness felt by those witnessing it.

Attendees were drawn into this world of quiet observation, where, as Garretson-Persans explained, the “abstract thing” unfolding on the screen holds immense significance, though often beyond the viewer’s ability to interpret. 

This thematic exploration was enhanced by Dotson’s choreography, which brought a human scale to the performance. The dancers embodied the tensions between fragility and strength, embracing the visceral sensations of love, loss, and mortality that echo through the experience of an ultrasound.

The performance was presented as part of UNE Art Galleries’ ongoing exhibition, “Light and Shadow: Motherhood, Creativity, and the Discourse of Ability,” currently on display at UNE’s Biddeford Campus through Oct. 20. 

“Light and Shadow” highlights the creative work of artist-parents, particularly women who navigate the complex intersections of art, family, and disability. In addition to Garretson-Persans, the exhibit features works by Alicia Ethridge, Jodi Ferry, Celeste Henriquez, and Cozette Russell, with text by art historian Virginia Rose. The exhibition fosters a dialogue around the lived experiences of mothers and the creative processes that both challenge and inspire them.

Hilary Irons, director of galleries and exhibitions at UNE, remarked on the impact of “Ultrasound Dance,” calling it “a wonderful way to let audiences reconcile with their own medical narratives, as well as to experience immersion in the artist’s own story. It is a piece that combats isolation and fear.”

Through its use of light, movement, and sound, “Ultrasound Dance” created an immersive, contemplative space for the audience — as did a panel discussion following the dance, which made space for viewers to confront the often-unspoken memories and emotions tied to their own medical experiences.