+/- Human. Choreographic work. Produced by Studio Wayne McGregor and Roundhouse, as part of Bloomberg Summer. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Royal Ballet, Roundhouse donors and supporters, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Arts Council England. Premiered at The Roundhouse, London in Aug 2017.
- Submitting institution
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Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
- Unit of assessment
- 33 - Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies
- Output identifier
- McGregor3
- Type
- I - Performance
- Venue(s)
- Roundhouse, London
- Open access status
- Out of scope for open access requirements
- Month of first performance
- August
- Year of first performance
- 2017
- URL
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- Supplementary information
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- Request cross-referral to
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- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
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- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
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0
- Research group(s)
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- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- This was created and devised in direct response to the Roundhouse’s unique architecture, in collaboration with contemporary art collective Random International, with new music from Warp Records artists. I wanted to design a highly interactive installation, putting the audience and performers at the centre of the action, and creating a dialogue between how humans and natural organisms interact with technology.
One of the main research questions therefore was how to creatively represent the area between human and non-human vitality, which was achieved through a long devising process, working with, and meticulously calibrating a flock of autonomously flying spheres. Programmed using complex algorithms and motion sensors that stimulate self-determined organic swarming movements, the collective behaviour of the orbs intelligently explore their environment, and respond to and engage with the human bodies in their surroundings. I devised a work to realise and incorporate this behaviour during the residency at the Roundhouse: visitors interacted with the installation, a responsive, physical relationship through which the artwork aimed to abstract and amplify a core element of humankind's relationship with machines today, opening it up to an affective and palpable exploration.
I also researched hosting additional, and immersive dance performances with an expanded professional cast, creating live interactions with the installation which were ‘primed’ by the longer durational work. Improvisation, and strategic choreographic methods had to be invented and developed to encourage a true dialogue in real time. We made choreographic units that could be accessed and cued by the dancers' unfolding relationship with the drones. I was specifically interested in how to develop a sense of intimacy and tactility with the drones, and how far we could ‘converse’ with them physically. The drones provided us with live dancing partners, they became a living reference for new improvisations and emergent structural decision making.
https://waynemcgregor.com/productions/plusminushuman
- Author contribution statement
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- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
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