Lab # 3

Lunch at DasArts. Photo: Thomas Lenden

The third Lab took place at DasArts from 26-31 October 2009 while the students and staff of DasArts were away in Israel following the ‘learning by living’ session of their Autumn Block in Israel. A gallery of Thomas Lenden photographs of the third Lab is available here. On Saturday 31 October, in the afternoon, the Lab organised a semi-public presentation on DANCE RECONSTRUCTION to support the work of the NIMK Research Group on the dance documentation model (see below).

U_Utrecht Writing Dancing MA students discussing the installation. Photo: Thomas Lenden

Professor Maaike Bleeker, head of the research group from Utrecht University worked on the development of a proposal for a publication, together with research assistant Laura Karreman. Supported by feedback and suggestions of the other research groups that were present at the lab, they gathered and selected questions and topics for a publication that can function as a ‘course publication’ and will not only be of interest for dance and theatre students, but also for dance teachers, choreographers, and other professionals in the dance field. The proposal is for a publication that consists of both documentations of dance projects, such as William Forsythe’s Synchronous Objects, and articles that deal with a wider series of issues and topics that seem relevant to these dance projects, such as technologies of cultural heritage and archiving, learning and interactivity, and the digitalisation of dance. During the lab, assistant professor Dance studies of Utrecht University Bojana Cvejic was also present. She gave feedback on the development of the Double Skin / Double Mind installation and moderated a discussion on the same topic with master students from Utrecht University.

Dance Reconstruction presentations 31 October 2009. Photo: Thomas Lenden

During IMK Lab #3, Annet Dekker, Vivian van Saaze and Gaby Wijers, research group from Netherlands Media Art Institute, Amsterdam, worked together on the mapping of quotes into the first version of the documentation model. These quotes about Extra Dry and Emio Greco | PC were gathered from source and literature survey, selected and discussed by the research loan fees amortization group with Fransien van der Putt and external experts. Supported by feedback and (more and more) literature of the other research groups that were present at the lab, the group has further refined the documentation model. Next to this, they have also started discussing the visualization of the model. Together with Bertha and Barbara, they worked on the vocabulary and score of Extra Dry. The group also took part in an internal discussion with the invited guests for the ‘dance reconstruction’ presentations Saturday afternoon with prepared questions and topics for discussion. Those two sessions provided input from different reconstruction practices including notation, theory and from intuitive/ artistic perspectives.

Bertha Bermedez testing installation with new screens. Photo: Thomas Lenden

During the 3rd Lab the EG | PC research team added two new members Sarah Fdili (feedback visualization) and Martin Bellardi (programmation). They both helped the team to further develop the installation professional mode. After the lab week great results were achieved; the final structure containing the different modes of use was made dividing the experience into 3 main chapters; introduction, explanation and customize. The first attempt of using emotive icons was tested by students from the MTD dance department and the AHK dance research team settling it for further development. Concerning the visual and sonic feedback a list of possible translation of movement qualities into descriptors that could more accurately respond the participant movement was made setting the first steps within this line of research. The use of questionnaires to guide and evaluate the experiences of students within the installation proved being extremely positive suggesting its use as part of the testing method to further develop the installation and the glossary creation took a twist and focused on the selection of “necessary to know” information around the artistic work of EG | PC and the workshop Ds/Dm in order to contextualize the workshop within the artistic vision of EG | PC.

Click here to open (or right-click and save) a copy of the Double Skin/Double Mind Interactive Installation questionnaire.

Another important element of the installation that was tested during this third lab was the architecture design of the installation. Three screens were added, two on each side and one on the top left corner of the front screen aiming to i) transmit different information through the use of visuals (menu, talking head, emotive icons, words) and ii) create a 3D awareness of the installation space by detaching the eyes of the participant from the main screen.

Still further testing of the space design as well as the icons and potential feedback will be done during a pre lab in February aiming to present a Beta version of the installation at lab 4.

AHK_Dance students testing the new installation design. Photo: Thomas Lenden

During the lab, the Dance Department research team led by Vivianne Rodrigues, Maria Ines Villasmil and John Taylor tested the new visual reference elements and provided feedback to the installation design team Chris Ziegler, Frédéric Bevilacqua and Bertha Bermudez supported by Barbara Meneses.

This testing lead to questions about scientific method and what was actually being tested. The discussion ensuing these questions help to clarify the goals we have set for final testing and the necessity for a pre-lab in order to better prepare the testing sessions of the 4th lab. Further we observed there is a continuum in the educational experience encompassing the personal experience and the communal, passive learning modes and active with the installation at the center of that experience working as a binding element.

AHK_Dance Educational Experience Diagram

Scott de la Hunta made a presentation of existing new media which has been produced in response to the desire of the choreographers to transfer and preserve their knowledge and work. The discussion of the use of these elements in an active dance training reflects the experience we observe in studying the installation. The installation is but one element in a range of media tools being developed at this time. There is a strong desire within the group to continue this classification and study of other sources. Broadening the research to the use of a wider variety of new media forms in dance education. This a possible direction for further research following up on the IMK project.

The semi-public presentation on DANCE RECONSTRUCTION 31 October 2009 was organised to support the work of the NIMK Research Group on the dance documentation model. Three specialists were invited to both consult privately with the NIMK Research Group as well as give presentations in a semi-public format in the large lunch space at DasArts. The key question they were asked to address was: what are the ‘essential’ elements of the work that are necessary to document — in order to enable a future reconstruction?

Marion Bastien presenting at the RECONSTRUCTION session. Photo: Thomas Lenden Marion Bastien studied notation in France and at the Dance Notation Bureau, New York. She has notated works by George Appaix, Bagouet, Bounonville and Decouflé, has taught notation at Conservatoire de Paris, Université Paris VII and Paris X, and has restaged solos or choral works. Marion now works half of her time at Centre national de la danse, in the “Memory and research” department, and works aside as freelance webmaster as well as on a few projects related to notation and dance. Her presentation featured a project involving the reconstruction of an earlier piece of George Appaix for insertion into a new work. Marion has contributed to the Capturing Intention research project and the book publication.

Paul Clarke in the audience during RECONSTRUCTION session. Photo: Thomas Lenden Since September 2008, Paul Clarke has been working at the University of alliance and leicester loans Bristol on a research project titled Performing the Archive: the Future of the Past. The project aims to develop the interrelationship and interactivity between the archives and communities of practitioners, scholars and audiences. Paul’s presentation, titled Archival Events and Eventful Archives, discussed how academics and artists can use and re-use documents of past events, to inflect and inspire their own perf unsecured payday loans ormance practice and their critical thinking or writing. Click here to open (or right-click and save) a copy of Performing the Archive: the Future of the Past, a draft copy of Paul’s talk (without the slides). Some further links related to Paul’s work and talk: Stuart Brisley apply for bank loan and Geoff Cox’s ‘Museum of Ordure‘ The Arkive City Richard Layzell Case Study and score ‘Digital Documentation and Performance‘ workshops Performing the Archive wiki

Martin Nachbar talking to Jeroen Fabius payday loan no check at RECONSTRUCTION session. Photo: Thomas Lenden Martin Nachbar lives in Berlin working as a dancer, choreographer and teacher (at the FU Berlin and the SNDO Amsterdam) and writing for various European dance and theatre magazines. He was a co-founder of the des B.D.C./Plischke collective, for whom he reconstructed Dore Hoyer’s ‘Affectos Humanos’ dance cycle. His experience as a choreographer and performer with the Dore Hoyer reconstructions was the focus of his presentation which raised the topic of “emulation”. Emulation is a technical term for copying the functions of one system so that they can be used to make another system behave like the first. Emulation is a concept used in electronic and digital media preservation discussions (e.g. see Inside Installations search ’emulation’). Click here to open (or right-click and save) a copy of Training Remembered, an essay by Martin Nachbar reflecting on his experience with ‘dance reconstruction’.