FKA twigs' body movement art shakes up Sotheby's

By Catarina Demony and Ben Makori

LONDON (Reuters) - At Sotheby's in London, a group of people are taking turns to swing their arms, thrust their hips and twist their bodies on the floor, as part of a performance artwork created by British singer-songwriter FKA twigs.

Called "The Eleven", it is performed by a rotating group of 11 individuals making 11 distinct movements on repeat as a DJ nearby blasts out techno.

FKA twigs, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett, said the moves were choreographed to tackle 11 aspects of living she said were critical to her own well-being, from artistic creation and simplicity to self-awareness and nature.

For the 280-year-old auction house, the performance represents uncharted territory.

Sotheby's hopes it will help it reach newer audiences and the "next generation of collectors," Lisa Stevenson, director of contemporary art, said.

By making the movements FKA twigs believes people can reconnect to their lives and bodies and disconnect from distractions such as social media.

"I started doing it myself and it works so I decided to create something here at Sotheby's everybody could enjoy and hopefully take something away from," she told Reuters on Friday after the unveiling of the artwork.

She hopes the movements will help visitors reach a state of "Eusexua", a word she coined to describe a feeling she considers the "pinnacle of human experience". It is also the name of twigs' new single released on Friday and a forthcoming album.

"It's the feeling of dancing all night and losing hours to the beach, it's the feeling of having a great idea, that moment of complete clarity," she said.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony, Editing by Paul Sandle and Hugh Lawson)