In Conversation with Lewis Walker

In a remarkable fusion of athleticism and artistry, London-born queer non-binary movement artist Lewis Walker unveiled their latest creation, Bornsick, at The Round Chapel last May. Following the acclaim of Lenio Kaklea’s Fauve at Sadler’s Wells, Serpentine’s commission of Walker’s work promises to be a visually striking exploration of queer identity, drawing inspiration from themes of shapeshifting and performativity.

Bornsick beckons audiences into a unique introspective experience, performed on a full-sized gymnastics sprung floor in the round. With a background as a former Great British gymnast and Acrobatic Gymnastics World Champion, Walker merges their expertise in movement with a profound understanding of dance, having earned a degree in Contemporary Dance. Their illustrious career spans across theatre, film, fashion, and music, continuously shaping the contemporary landscape of performance.

Bornsick reflects the idea that we inherit illness—born into a system that shapes us before we can define ourselves. The gymnastics and dance performance explores identity as a compulsive act of referencing, an endless cycle of borrowing and reshaping of what came before.

Bornsick suggests that humanhood is a paradox; we search for something real, yet everything we are is borrowed. We long for authenticity, but if reality is only an echo of what came before, then individuality itself is an illusion; the self exists purely as a reflection.

Lewis has collaborated with visionaries like Tim Walker, Yorgos Lanthimos, and ANOHNI, while also remaining deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of performers, choreographing for national gymnastics teams and teaching movement as a transformative practice. Their innovative workshops, such as Connecting to Improv and MOVE HYPNO, challenge the ways we perceive touch and energy in performance.

Bornsick at The Round Chapel took place on 21 & 22 May, followed by a performance at the Edinburgh Art Festival on 23 August. We delve into the creative mind of this dynamic artist, who is currently a Studio Wayne McGregor RESIDENT 6 artist-in-residence. Join us as we explore Lewis Walker’s captivating journey through movement and expression.

 

How did your experience as a queer, non-binary artist influence the creation of “Bornsick”?

That is quite hard to pinpoint, I am queer and identify as non-binary, however I do not set out to create queer work. I create work that feels relevant to my experience as a human right now, and perhaps that encapsulates being queer. I aim to dismantle gendered expectations I have of myself, and move and create without the stereotypical lens of how traditional forms assume male bodies to perform. That is always something I desire with creation.

In what ways do you think the audience’s perception of identity is changed through your performance?

I don’t know, and I don’t feel it is my place or a functional practice as an artist to attempt to fantasise the potential thought process of audience members. I try to show up to my work, be as honest and communicative with what I want to say, and what happens from there is out of my hands.

Can you describe the process of layering movements and behaviours in “Bornsick”? What does this layering represent?

Within Bornsick, I was inspired by gymnastics warm-ups and a specific conditioning routine called Ventsi Conditioning, named after one of my Bulgarian coaches, Ventsi, which we would do religiously every Friday evening between 8 PM – 9 PM. It was experienced by generations of athletes whom he coached, and is famously known as the hardest and most gruelling experience, usually resulting in us waddling into training the morning after. In the show, I perform movements which follow the circumference of the floor, which naturally evolve and progressively get more challenging. This represents the layering or downloading of information onto the body, and by the end of this conditioning, the body is built and prepared. I believe that nothing is owned, everything is shared, and our experience is unique, but completely borrowed from everything and everyone around us. The layering of movement is the layering of identity, perhaps, building a character, piece by piece, only to discover we are just products of our surroundings and lineage.

 

“Bornsick” emphasises the idea of unlearning. Could you share some personal experiences that have influenced this theme?

Growing up, I naturally either assumed I was a girl, or just gravitated to doing things which stereotypical and conventional girls did. My earliest memories of becoming aware that I wasn’t normal were throwing a Bratz doll across the room, in an attempt to hide it from my friend’s mum. A very young and innocent feeling of shame and embarrassment that told me, someone with my body, shouldn’t be associated with these things. It seems so small, but these acts develop and build to create a young adult who has shaped identity in opposition to natural desire, an identity which is directed by systematic and cultural stereotypes. I am unlearning this conditioning now, and I imagine I will be for the rest of my life. Gender stereotypes lie deep in British culture, and in reality, they are a tool of oppression, maintaining control, hierarchy and divide between the sexes.

How does your work in various sectors such as theatre, fashion, and music influence your approach to art?

I think they are all feeding each other; neither one exists without the other. Working in the fashion, music and commercial sector has pushed me to translate my language around movement with artists outside of gymnastics and dance contexts. I grew up from the ages of 6 -21 in a gymnastics facility, training as an elite acrobatic gymnast, and I think the fast-paced freelance work enabled me to let go and become increasingly more spontaneous and quick-thinking. My approach to making art lives between both worlds. I still want to train, work with detail and precision, but also quickly discern when the work is finished, be creatively free and let go of a piece once it’s made.

What challenges have you faced in presenting themes of queerness and identity in performance art?

Getting over myself. There is of course the societal and heternormative reality which sets a standard of living, and as it stands, by law, making it more challenging for queer people to exist, especially Trans people. However, alongside that comes the responsibility to show up for myself, putting pressure and expectation for me to continue doing inner work and live in the world fully as a queer person. My work is inevitably always going to be queer, because it is just something I happen to be, I do not strive to make queer work, but I strive to show up with my art exactly where I currently am, even if that’s a place where I don’t wish to be seen, I work from there.

After “Bornsick,” what future projects or themes are you considering exploring in your upcoming work?

Touring Bornsick will be my main focus for the foreseeable future. I do not feel in a rush to create lots and lots of work, so I can re-evaluate when the next show arises. I am currently creating a short film using documentation from the London premiere of Bornsick for the Thessaloniki Biennale in October. As well as an exhibition performance at Propositions in Bethnal Green in November. I want to choreograph more for competitive acrobatic gymnasts, go back to my roots and connect with gymnasts again.

Follow: @lewiswalker_x

@serpentineuk @edartfest

Bornsick will run EAF25 (Edinburgh Art Festival) on 23 August.
www.serpentinegalleries.org/about/press/serpentine-presents-lewiswalker