An interactive program that allows the willing user a glimpse into normally unshared and unseen dance rehearsal notes and footage.
Created in response to growing concerns in the digital dance community regarding dance artists unwillingness to share data from their pieces.
This piece was created as a response to a discussion that arose at CDare’s Digital Echoes conference on 10th March.
Many of the dance artists in attendance expressed their desire to share data, however struggled with the implications of this. A major concern was that if they share data from their rehearsals or performances, there is nothing stopping someone from using it and interpreting it in a way that is very far from the original intention. Dance is difficult to copyright and even harder to claim ownership of. Both of these things create a desire for secrecy around the creative process and a lack of trust.
How then can we encourage this openness and trust within the dance world? This question leads me to think about the open source movement in software. The community trust and sharing that exists in this movement is something that we in the dance world can look towards as a model for our own needs. If this existed in dance more artists may be willing to share their data (which of course can be extended to rehearsal notes, video anything used in the creative process of for inspiration). Another important thing to note is willingness. The artists have to be willing to try, have to be willing to trust.
In this piece the user enters into the space in front of the screen and is faced with their own image. Nothing happens. If they persist and show curiosity and a willingness to discover they will start seeing snippets of rehearsal notes. Eventually they are able to wipe away their own image completely and see footage of rehearsals. This footage contains everything from very early movement creation to snippets of final rehearsals. All of the parts of the creative process that an audience are not usually invited to see.
The longer the user is willing to interact with the piece the more information they will receive. The catch is if the user wants to receive this information they must keep moving, for almost as soon as something is revealed to them it begins to fade away and be replaced once more by their own image. They are constantly in the way and must be willing to work hard to engage fully.