Electronic intelligence and body language of dancing are rarely brought together in one show. We find them side by side in Virus//Antivirus
Experimenting makes an inherent part of the Lanabel Company's itinerary. "This is how, having been deeply involved in the world of industry with the show called Qué Calor, we said that
we might do more investigations, since we had many technological enqueries in relation to hyper-implants", said Annabelle Bonnéry. It was François Deneulin, scenographer and co-founder of the company, having participated in the creativity workshop at Minatec IDEAs Laboratory® directed by Michel Ida, who first had these questions in mind. He was joined afterwords by Annabelle Bonnéry, a choreographer dancer and their shared interest in sensors kept growing.
The bonds were very quickly established between the artist, who used to dream about being an engineer and the researcher who had released three CDs as a music composer. "With Annabelle, we were immediately drawn to inventing and creating a body language based on a motion sensor that generates music. The first demonstration, a year and a half ago, was compelling and following a few working sessions, the magical fusion came alive. We gathered very quickly the bits which could give rise to a show", declares Dominique David.
This first collaboration within the framework of the Atelier Arts-Sciences, was very promising. The common objective, requiring availability, openness, a sharp view and high standards from all parties, has been shaped from these different challenges.
For Dominique David who has been working on the design and development of the StarWatch since 2000: "one of our objectives, keeping in mind that electronics has become a commonality used by everyone, is to further develop computers in a sense to avoid keyboards that are not natural for man. Therefore, we need to find out new, more intuitive ways to interact by a sort of miniaturization that will allow us to capture movement."
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A way of using computers hands free, if we can say that. Associating the artistic expression of an actor-choreographer and a researcher in a dance solo, with the aim of improving this innovative technology and refining its application, brings a rich benefit. "With the mouse and the keyboard, we are very far away from the artistic gesture. With StarWatch, we set gestures free, adds Dominique David, allowing a more profound way of expression." In a broader sense, constantly endeavouring to improve the human-electronics interface, Dominique David's StarWatch could become more accessible to everyone and it might conquer new users as well.
"Succeeding in transferring gestures to a machine in order to reach beyond the ready-made use of the mouse or the keyboard, would favour artistic expression and would give a larger scope for improvisation and spontaneity."
If StarWatch application is enhanced, which is already on its way, it will help physically challenged people. Compensating muscle weakness by neuro-stimulation and using the sensors as their extension. The title, proclaimed by Annabelle Bonnéry, as a tribute to those who might become the first users of this technology, evokes a use in medicine.
"I am fascinated by the idea of these sensors being able to relate what is happening inside the body and compensate for its deficiencies. This technological device, initially created to optimise the human body, questions contemporary dance. But the body itself, won't it be lost at a certain point in the performance? What I am interested in, is to show, in a playful way, the contrasted outcomes of this modernization while putting them in perspective or in focus, Virus/Antivirus is also in the spirit of thesis/anti-thesis, but I would not answer this now." »
"The objective, carries on Dominique David, is also to proceed with electronics that makes sense, since this path has not been sufficiently explored yet." During six weeks of research residency, their task will be to transform these challenges into imagination inspiring the spectators to see the human body under a different angle.
Nadine Epron
Editing the epistemological follow-up of the residency
[LES CAHIERS N°1]
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Les résidences 