Kinetrope
kine - Greek (kinein) - movement trope - Greek (tropos) - turning
Kinetrope is a plant-like life form born in virtual space, that grows towards the motion of another. In reality there are many types of tropisms that give plants the impulse to grow and to be shaped in specific and unique ways. Through the creation of this specific growth algorithm and a new type of tropism, the possibilities of relationships and choreographies across boundaries becomes possible.
The motions of a body in physical reality as sensed through a depth camera, are used as scaffolding on which the virtual lifeform can grow. The process happens in real time giving the moving body a chance to witness the growth process and respond. The choreographic potential arises out of this dynamic relationship between physical body and virtual body, an interconnected exchange of motions and impulses. The dancer becomes a growing tree, and the tree becomes a dancer
I am. The tree is. We are both close enough, to see. We push and pull each other.
The choreography of this form developed directly from the process as an improvisational relationship. My senses responded to the shapes I saw and felt as I moved. I entered stillness, letting the Kinetrope fill my form. In stillness, I was still moving, feeling the growing form in my imagination and my body's energetic response to the shape I was in. I reached through my legs and arms, lengthening and changing subtly, supported by the virtual process. The virtual shapes my movement through my imagination.
We interact with technology every day as it is. There is a segmentation, a split between our reality and the virtual realities we see on screens and in our devices. How do we become aware of this boundary. How do we become mindful of our own needs in interacting across this boundary. The economy of interaction cannot be balanced as long as part of our selves are not being addressed. We lose our body, or parts are neglected. I explore the possibility of full body interaction across the boundaries between worlds. In relating to a Kinetrope, a channel is opened. Not only does my body's motion through space affect the growth of these plants, but a relationship is development. I am moved by the growing tree. And it is moved by me.
Installation
MAT End of Year Show, May 29th, 2015. MAT, Elings Hall UCSB
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