Performance and after stuff
Performance jpgs from Beam Me Up performance with Sandy Baldwin and
pre-performance preparation with Alan Dojoji and Julu Twine.
Unfortunately the mayhem was very difficult to capture in stills.
And easier in video but the video would be untowardly large for download
or for that matter uploading on my end (although some will emerge later);
please be patient, a little sadness is a good thing:
http://www.alansondheim.org/ perf jpgs
Afterwards, this evening, documenting the strange alterations that
occurred as the chaotic debris of the performed space settled down:
http://www.alansondheim.org/ afterperf jpgs
Beam Me Up video from performance 2/11
http://www.alansondheim.org/beammeup1.mp4
http://www.alansondheim.org/beammeup2.mp4
http://www.alansondheim.org/beammeup3.mp4
(Below is a general description which I've prepared for an online class
coming up.)
I have an installation in the online virtual world, Second Life. If you go
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Odyssey/48/12/22 - you will find it. In order
to use this URL, you need to have a Second Life account; you can get this
at http://www.secondlife.com . The installation is called The Accidental
Artist and is quite complex - I've been changing it for the past eight
months. You can find all sorts of images and videos from it at
http://www.alansondheim.org/ - these include a number of performances that
have been seen and recorded world-wide. (The last was February 11.)
Let me begin with silent film. Roberta E. Pearson, in Eloquent Gestures:
The Transformations of Performance Style in Griffith Biograph Films,
distinguishes between two fundamental modes of performance: the histrionic
and the verisimilar. I associate the former with melodrama and the latter
with a presumed 'natural' acting style. Melodrama operates through a
semiotics of stereotyped poses and movements (hands clasped in prayer for
example); traditionally, theatrical poses might be held for a few seconds
- forming a tableau (waiting for audience reaction). You can see this mode
in operation in silent films; characters will _stop_ and hold exaggerated
gestures, as the diegesis is transformed into a meta-narrative of segmen-
ted moments. I claim that this semiotics (which also extends into and
through subtitles) plays out in virtual worlds as well, since characters
are given stock responses (animations) which may be played one after
another, in serial order - at times there may be 'behavior collisions' -
situations in which animations compete with each other.
In my virtual world (Second Life) work, I use files that have been
produced by altered motion capture equipment. A human performer, wearing
sensors, moves in a regulated environment, and the movements of the
sensors are recorded - this results in a file that allows an avatar to
mimic the movement of the human. In my work, however, there are two
differences: the sensors are remapped onto the body in a 'non-natural'
manner (head on foot for example), and the software itself is rewritten in
order to create what I call 'dynamic filters' - the original human move-
ment is filtered to produce new and inconceivable movement. This is the
sources of a great deal of my work, which starts from a 'natural' order
and proceeds into a distorted digital/virtual one - which may then be
returned (through live dance for example) in another altered form to the
'real' world. I see my avatars having the potential frenzy/energy of
silent film and the wild movement of Buster Keaton.
(In the excerpts above, the avatar movement is slowed down in grotesque
duets with Sandy Baldwin; I did little recording of the high-speed
movement since I was working the environment at the time.)
maud, foofwa, azure, alan, what we do
http://www.alansondheim.org/rame1.jpg
http://www.alansondheim.org/rame2.jpg
la
gruyere
:
region
gruyeres
city
le
cheese
our
parts
all our
are parts
crossed all
by
are
several of
topics choreographic
and research:
of the
choreographic labour
research: of
the the
labour dance,
dance,
and
culture the
real the
naturalness/and virtual
virtual dances
one, culture
dances
of
inspired technologies,
digital speed
technologies, of
speed psychoses
movement, the
psychoses inspired
body, contemporaneity
contemporaneity problems
problems the
folklore danced
danced
the
nationalisms. all
but our
before parts
our extensions
extensions perpetual
perpetual
before
curiosity world
for and
world demonstrations,
its and
demonstrations, its
art possibilities
possibilities
the
revealing there
this we
world
was in
switzerland, alps.
swiss aletsch
alps.
during week,
one maud
week, liardon
maud and
liardon myself
myself to
repeated study
to during
study
one
some make
these it
make repertory
it some
a of
kind these
repertory and
tracks. choreographic
since tracks.
work since
with work
alan with
almost
alan
always the
proceeds time,
while maud
improvising and
at me
time, from
me proceeds
planes while
from improvising
now
at
on choreographic
which during
could a
draw repertory
during
of
turning. our
thus, week
week we
voyage, reactivated
often turning.
reactivated thus,
memories .at
.at once.
once. or
or licence
licence with
tracks freely
be varying
begun according
again to
freely the
varying and
according tracks
places begun
contexts. first
the was
idea to
first confront
confront studies
studies
the
landscapes landscapes
switzerland switzerland
refrigerator refrigerator
alpine.
alpine.
should we
noted almost
that a
did year
year be
spencer that
tunik
did
photographs on
600 glacier
naked of
glacier denounce
denounce 600
climate
changes.
this project
project could
not have
have been
been possible
possible without
without the
spontaneous the
creativity, sensitivity
sensitivity the
abilities maud
liardon;
creativity,
artistic and
conceptual complicity
complicity between
between alan
myself;
without
support of
assistance woman
blues, alan;
woman the
alan;
and
amazement amazement
alan,
alan,
we in
do oneself
carry we
costumes prepare
oneself seldom
prepare do
only not
seldom carry
wear
particular
clothes.
process makes
also it
makes possible
windows imaginary
imaginary
this
open news
propose the
dialectical of
news the
remainder open
material
a
sequence. of
it a
is certain
emanation the
certain sequence.
reality it
assembler the
when time
cuts the
sequence one
time assembler
next cuts
starts. sequence
dissolve-did connect
connect there
either or
preparatory of
desire dissolve-did
transition.
simplicity, crossing
crossing .arranging.
.arranging. choreography.
choreography.
all
give grass
cow the
grazing we
grass give
so of
sounds music,
bell an
become effect
music, or
adding artifice
an sounds
effect of
artifice
become
there. of
sequences maintain
dance same
maintain kind
same time.
contemplative the
time.
sequences
want time
force the
spectacular has
has
the
naturalness, comprising
comprising less
less intense
intense moments,
moments, others
others stronger.
stronger.
a
a
a
a
a
