Jan. 24 to Jan. 28, 2022
Partners: Aiqin, Anya, Kristen, Parth
Brief: Design a way for people to embody and enact the outer appearance of a digital avatar.
Context: Environment/Background
At our first meeting, we wanted to establish the context around Violet so that we would have a strong conceptual foundation upon which to build our avatar. We decided on the three key words of therapy, empowerment, and liberation.
First, we had to answer the question of what exactly is Violet's purpose? We wanted to lean into the sense of community and empowerment for women to fight back against sexual violence. With Violet's rage, we envisioned her drawing upon her inner strength as well as those from other people on the dancefloor to build a collective movement of joy and liberation.
The rave would also serve as an integral part of the healing process for Violet. Rather than being an endpoint, it would be a continuous journey and something that both she and the audience could return to time and time again.
Lava/Volcanoes
We thought about the visualization of Violet and first came up with the idea of lava and volcanoes. The dancefloor would be like tectonic plates and lead to a chain reaction of eventual eruption through dance. We liked the imagery of lava first being in liquid form and eventually solidifying into something solid in which life could blossom. I really liked this idea, but the group wanted to keep brainstorming other physical manifestations of Violet, so we tabled the lava idea for the time being.
Appearance: Camouflage/Disguise/Concealment and Trickery
After narrowing down our concept of therapy, empowerment, and liberation, we started thinking about Violet's appearance. How could she be inhabited and embodied by different people? How could she change the way she appears by taking advantage of camouflage, disguise, concealment and trickery?
tree outside my bus stop and face mask by Austin James Smith https://austinjamessmith.com/
Based on the terms "camouflage" and "disguise," we decided that we wanted to "genericize" Violet, both in terms of gender and her physical form.
Interiority and Fluidity
We also noticed that typical costumes of "liberation" tend to project outwards from the body, such as wings or other additive layers, but we wanted to focus on a more inward facing physical manifestation of Violet. We thought that she should be a malleable, fluid type of form rather than a solid figure.
With her disembodied figure, she could reach more members of the audience by flowing outwards and within them. The community could then act as extensions of her physical form.
masterful costume design by Parth
Mercury
We wanted to find a way for the particles of Violet to replicate mercury. Using Spark AR, Aiqin and Parth created a filter that would show particles reacting to you and within you. We thought of the process of phagocytosis and how the particles could "engulf" the audience.
Storylines
We also brainstormed a few storylines for Violet.
Ecstasy and Rapture
Next, we started thinking about both the musical composition of the rave as well as the dance choreography. We thought a lot about the kind of music that aids ecstasy and rapture and trance music's role in meditation and healing. We wanted a steady pulsing in our composition to lead to a sort of meditative state.
Spinning/Twirling
I came across a video of a clearly inebriated man spinning in front of a Tube station, and I remembered what it was like spinning on a carousel as a child and how it can trigger an out-of-body sensation or lightheadedness. This led us to dynamic meditation and Sufism.
We decided to wear skirts and also dress in white tops to show the devotional aspect of the figures who summon Violet.
With our costume design and choreography down, we next had to think about staging the entire experience.
Storyboard
We decided to begin the experience with a moment of chaos and disorientation. Then, a group of "priest-like" figures enter the room and start spinning with one hand to the earth and one to the skies to summon Violet. Once she enters the room, the whole dancefloor goes crazy, and Violet and the ravers exchange their power with one another.
The Drop
Although we were clear on the general storyline, we still needed to pinpoint "the drop" or the moment when Violet lands in the earthly realm. We needed to make the drop a meaningful moment. We wanted to be careful about positioning Violet as a savior figure. In the end, we decided to center the drop on the moment when Violet becomes one with the collective.
Performance
Key Takeaways
After our performance, we received some feedback that we could have tried to involve more of the audience, perhaps by encouraging them to dance with us or by other analog methods rather than merely using a digital filter. It was also noted that the digital filter and physical performance felt too disjointed, so we could have made it more seamless, perhaps by giving people access to the filter at the beginning rather than telling them about it at the end of the dance.
I really enjoyed this project and the chance to try our hands at composing music and choreographing dance. As someone who enjoys raves and dancing with people in a room, it was great fun to actually think more deeply about the ecstatic experience and what elements lead to a great night out. The most challenging aspect was learning all the new tech and programs in a week, but our group managed to divide the work based on our interests and natural inclinations, and I thought it came together nicely at the end.
References
https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/32976/1/yves-tumor-serpent-music-album-stream-interview
Ekin Bernay. A Lesson in Therapeutic Dance Movement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRNS8XTADEU
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