A Car of the Future
On March 14, 2012, I performed a choreography which I developed in response to a lecture written by Alan N. Shapiro called 'Car of The Future'. Alan is is a software developer, computer scientist, author and translator in the field of contemporary cultural phenomena. This performance-lecture was part of an event sponsored by the Dirty Art Department of the Sandberg Institute called the AGE-ISM Lecture Series. It was principally organized by Elise Van Mourik.
In order to create the choreography I read the lecture and took the resonant points of contact between performance technology and Alan's lecture about how “computer science must transform itself into a hybrid engineering and humanities discipline”.
http://www.alan-shapiro.com/lecture-performance-in-amsterdam-alan-n-shapiro-and-regan-obrien
These are the points of contact I found to be most active.
- Internal body rhythm
- Neuroelectric receptivity
- Embodiment
- Economy of movement
- Communication
- Sympathetic Resonance.
The one-off performance was never rehearsed together in the same place. So from the moment we arrived in Amsterdam we began to talk about how the performance might work. Ultimately it was a live exchange of improvised rhythm and pace, listening and harmonizing.
We worked together and separately, always supporting each other, always working the score. At the end I sang an original song which I composed.
The song had a drive which was appropriate to the theme of the lecture and gave a musical epilogue to mirror the beginning of the performance when Alan sang “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. This work was a very positive collaboration experience and was led by strong, shared ideas and the desire to make a clear, artistic action.
