FaceTwoFace
Explores the externality of identity in a world of media constructed self image
Physical space is exploited within a revolving perspective where dance, video, text and sound fuse. An Ego flirts with the Other only to ultimately reemerge in a final synthetic act of reconstructed affirmation.
The performance makes use of styles recognizable from the visual arts—from raw documentary to abstract manipulation. The choreography wraps strength and simplicity around a tranquil aesthetic while the musical composition blends electronic distance with acoustic warmth. Digital artistry adds a further expressive dimension as the graphic images and electronic sounds are influenced by the dancer’s movements.
The performance of interwoven layers unfolds over three distinct zones:
Zone 1: In the first zone, the two dancers are found in the foyer amongst the public before the doors to the auditorium open. They are consumed with filming and being filmed by each other. When the doors open, the public enters the auditorium and cross into the second zone.
Zone 2: In the second zone, the live manipulated images of the absent dancers are projected onto a large screen at the side of the stage, while their voices are mixed with recorded sounds. The composer/video artist is set up on the other side of the stage to interpret the data as it is transferred from the camera. As the dancers enter the stage they perform a tightly weaved and sharply choreographed duet.
Zone 3: In the third zone, the depth of field is expanded as the female dancer moves towards the back of the stage. The male takes up a static position near the front of the stage to view her through the camera’s lens. The two previous zones are merged into a comprehensive space, where a fusion of dance, picture and sound convert the woman’s solo into a duet with her own manipulated image.
Dancer and choreographer: Tina Tarpgaard
Composer and technical design: Pelle Skovmand
Text and graphics: Jonathan Somer
Stephen Freiheit