Dust

DUST is a Virtual Reality piece which invites the audience to experience dance performance from the perspective of eternal particle travelling in space. DUST aims to transform the way people see and experience contemporary dance through a 4 minute long immersive virtual reality experience. It explores the boundaries between the virtual and the real-world experiences and advances research in the fields of participatory performance, human-computer interaction and VR technologies. In DUST, the audience uses a Virtual Reality (VR) headset to place themselves in the immediate presence of the dancer and within a unique visual and aural scenario which has been created by capturing volumetric recordings of dancers and photogrammetric imagery of Rambert’s building. The resulting effect is exhilarating, allowing the audience to experience the work from different perspectives and within the space where the dance is happening. DUST creates an emotional connection between the audience and the dancers, and between the audience and the digitally reconstructed architecture. It is dance as no audience member has ever experienced before. The project is a demonstration of what dance, performance, film and sound could become in the future of VR.

The piece is inspired by how almost every element on Earth was formed at the heart of a stardust, including our bodies. Drawing inspiration from these eternal particles which were part of our bodies for an incredibly short moment, as well as the motif of the unthinkable world expressed by the philosophy book In the Dust Of This Planet by Eugene Thacker, DUST seeks to reimagine our perception of body, space and time with the use of digital technologies. It merges real and virtual worlds to produce new environments where physical and digital co-exist and interact in real time. More specifically, it combines the live stream with volumetric capturing of dance and virtual environment and in doing so, immerses the viewers visually, as well as physically and emotionally. DUST seeks to explore innovative forms of engaging the audience and ways of building new narratives through the creative partnership of performing arts and new media.

Andrej Boleslavský | concept, design, creation
Mária Júdová | concept, design, creation
Patricia Okenwa I NMC | choreographer
Soňa Ferienčíková | dancer
Roman Zotov | dancer
Miles Whittaker I Demdike Stare | musician
Carmen Salas | creative producer

Mária Júdová and Andrej Boleslavský, artist duo, have been exploring the creative potential of technology for over a decade. Their work combines the exploration of technologically informed dance practices with participatory performances, body movement, time and space. Mária and Andrej are interested in combining choreographic thinking and the practice of digital art creation to deliver richer and more meaningful experiences. They often find themselves working in close collaboration with performers, dancers and choreographers with the aim of trying to understand the principles behind the creation of the movement.

Presentation 17-23.9.2018 in Laboratorio Arte Alameda, Mexico City, MX
International presentation is supported using public funding by Slovak Arts Council. In collaboration with TRAKT. Project website http://vrdust.org.uk/