Cognitive Debris

an audio-visual dance installation

”Crick and Mitchison (1983) believe that the brain’s neural memory systems are easily overloaded and that REM eliminates cognitive debris”

Barbara Lusk, Professor in psychology

Cognitive Debris revolves around real-time image manipulation and electronic sound interacting with the dynamic physical expression of dance. By sampling and reproducing live video, the installation challenges our experience of the present in a visual language inspired by the fragmented nature of dreams.

The installation is inspired by the contradiction of the functional cognitive debris theory with the powerful emotional and illogical nature of dreams.

A complex setup of video sensors providing digital information between the human body, sound and video develops into a dream-like, time-distorted universe inhabited by a dancer and her digital reproduction.

Using a remote control the dancer is able to direct the digital reproduction of the choreography while simultaneously dancing it.

The result is a duet performed between the two co-existing spheres, the organic and the digital.

Concept, choreography and video manipulation: Tina Tarpgaard
Music and programming: Pelle Skovmand

cognitive debris was supported by The Danish Arts Council