Launceston-based choreographers, and couple, Gabriel and Caitlin Comerford, are the pair behind Absence of Light. 

Debuting this year, the work’s purpose is to contribute to and kickstart conversations about mental health.

It comes from personal experience, Mr Comerford said. 

“We have seen friends lose their battle with depression, countless colleagues and industry leaders struggle with the rollercoaster ride that is life,” he said. 

“We have watched people shift from top of the world to lowest of lows as a result of their mental health. 

“Absence of Light is our way of working to make a shift, however small.”

The Comerford’s dance company, who will perform the work, is called MakeShift, an independent collective of dancers and dance-makers, working collaboratively together, and with other artists. 

The collective undertook a two-week residency at the Earl Theatre last month, working with dancer Amelia Stokes, local production manager Darren Willmett, and lighting designer Nick Higgins.

“MakeShift are committed to contributing to and fostering a vibrant and diverse independent dance community across Australia,” Mr Comerford said. 

“We plan to continue creating art that moves, grounds, arrests, reflects and questions.”