noOne by Alan Sondheim

Second Life, which self-describes as a “free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using free voice and text chat” has become artistic fodder for many artists since its inception in 2003. Not a game, Second Life has no end goal for it’s users: it’s an open-ended consequence-free alternate reality where avatars, free from earthy concerns like nourishment and gravity, can interact with their environment and community in any way they see fit.

The work “noOne” by Alan Sondheim (an official selection of the UMove Festival in the Animation/Gaming category) is an exploration of the lack of rules that exist in the virtual reality of Second Life. The piece is a record of live interactions Sondheim’s avatar had with various uploaded environments. Dance is perhaps a limited genre, as it is typically limited by the capabilities of the human body, but when the human form can fly, bend, and contort into any position the choreographer dreams of, a new set of possibilities opens up for the choreographer. Yet we hardly ever see the avatar in this work, as it is largely obscured by its environment in this piece: the near-human form swallowed by the technological environment, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the form of red particles through which the viewer may only hope to keep track of its whereabouts.

Dorsey's Knob by Foofwa d'Imobilité

“Dorsey’s Knob (série Second Live series)” by Foofwa d’Imobilite (official selection of UMove in the Surprise Me! category) takes Second Life as its inspiration, but places the choreography back on live performers. While the avatar inside of Second Life may not be limited by gravity or length of ligaments, the range of movement is stifled, emotion non-existent, and nuance a complete impossibility. By taking the movement language of avatars and repurposing it for performance by a live body, d’Imobilite has created a limited movement palate rife with possibility. While “noOne” relies heavily on the abstract changing environment to create movement within the frame, “Dorsey’s Knob” creates a series of static landscapes in which the robotic movement of one dancer placed next to the near non-movement of another creates a bizarrely human character study.

Perhaps where “Dorsey’s Knob” succeeds is in it’s realization that technologically enhanced worlds are only as interesting as the humans that inhabit them, and humanizing the movement language of avatars (very successfully done through micro-moments showing set-up with the dancers: they are cold, they make each other laugh), creates situations rich with metaphor.

Jody Sperling, USA, 2009

This Loie Fuller-inspired company, Time Lapse Dance, creates striking visuals using large pieces of flowing cloth incorporated with colorful lighting design. “Morning Mood” is a section of a larger work for the stage, “Forms of Dilemma.”

Peter William Holden, England, 2009

A chorus of oxford tap shoes dance with the aid of pneumatic valves triggered by a computer. As much an auditory work as it is a visual one, “SoleNoid” demonstrates Peter William Holden’s kinetic sculpture performing a choreographed routine.

Peter Wiliam Holden, England, 2009

This kinetic sculpture presumably alludes to Gene Kelly and his famous “Singing in the Rain” number.  A wall of umbrellas dance to unheard music, evoking a troupe of synchronized swimmers, transforming these everyday objects into lively animation.

Peter William Holden, England, 2008

A ballet of prosthetic arms and legs deployed by air pistons are accompanied by Strauss. Taking its inspiration from Frankenstein, “Arabesque” creates a mechanical flower: a simulacrum of nature.

Hope Hall, USA, 1999

The filmmaker made this memoir about her mother ’s struggles with an eating disorder, by using family photos, interviews, projected video and underwater footage. Not so much kinetic as moving.

Tuixen Benet, Spain, 2009
Unabashedly low-tech, danced in a rehearsal studio, this is all one take. With high heels that could kill, these two zany cigarette girls clatter around in real time, and then in sped up footage. The message: GIVE US CIGARETTES – WE ARE PRETTY.

Isabel Valverde, Portugal/USA, 2009

The Blob Dance Project experiments with modes of embodied experience and interaction within BlobMaker, a multimodal interactive application, and a power wall. This video is an experimentation combining blobs, body movement, and the fragmentation possibilities when using 12 projectors and computers.

Jared Frank, USA, 2009

A video of excerpts from Palissimo’s psychosexual show, “Weddings & Beheadings”, Jared Frank boils the live performance down to a minute and a half.

Natasha Tsakos, Switzerland/USA, 2007

This is a promotional video for UP WAKE, a solo performance created and developed by Natasha Tsakos. The performance takes place on a bare stage with a single actor, but a larger world is suggested through inventive uses of  CGI and synchronized sound effects.