Hi Johannes & list,
This may not be interesting anymore, but here are my responses.
>I am not sure how Dawn read the discussions we actually had, there was
>little said about hype etc, and a lot about content and ideas and
>processes that drive new work and that drive workshops in which artists
I may have misinterpreted what was going on in the summer's discussions but
I was getting this underlying feeling of doubt. As if people were not
feeling confident in their choice to use new media because they didn't know
why they were using it. I subtle sense of failure of being able to truly
integrate our vision with our practice. Why is it that our choice to work
with "new technologies" brings up so many issues? Is there another time in
history where artists were using certain tools and so many questions came
up about that or is this a unique thing? I am truly curious.
It is important to question your own use of a particular media but I don't
think you have to know the answer concretely to continue your
work/investigation/creation. However, this questioning also relates to the
inability to write about a work that is media intensive from a conceptual
point of view. By searching for the answers we can hopefully write about
the work from both perspectives. Or at least approach it from the questions
you are asking yourself. So, I changed my mind about knowing or not
knowing. You should know, but you can change your mind later.
>I think I know what you mean, but you are resigned to what was my
>critique all summer long, namely that dance technology workshops often
>tend to get focused on the software, on wiring and engineering
>challenges, or on testing how the interactive system might work.
>Musically speaking, you can create sound from working with your computer
>or your synthesizer or sampler, but you can"t create a choreography that
Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't feel resigned or settled into the
notion that a workshop focusing on dance & technology has to be so focused
on the software, wiring, testing etc. but I have not found a way for it to
NOT be like that yet. It's sort of like asking a computer programmer to
come to the same workshop and teach him/her about dance composition. I
would first have to teach them how to dance then how to compose for dance.
It's alot of information for a choreographer to tackle but I don't know how
else they can begin. Maybe the workshops should be collaborative? Invite
choreographers and programers...or electronic music composers who tend to
have a handle on many softwares? Or maybe we can't try to teach as much for
the technology perspective. I don't know but it's a big issue.
>I think the challenge for the studio, here, lies in working with
>dancers/musicians
>and a mutual understanding of MIDI and the movement's active
>compositional role in creating spatial effects, gestures, tempi and
>rhythms on the one hand, which can be linked interactively to the
>computer (and feedback loops). And on the other hand, the challenge
>lies in imagining what one wants to express or compose with the
>gestures, how to rehearse with Midi, and additionally, with and after
>captured video images of the gestures, etc. If the performance is
Wow, that was an earfull! but you are right about redefining the
studio/work space. We are trying to buy a building out here in Brooklyn so
that we can have our own studio space to begin to address some of the
issues you are talking about (I think).
>"new choreographies for softwares", or without softwares. I currently
>favor an approach where interactive media are only used intermittently,
>sparingly, within a larger work that has its own integrity-- i.e. I
>don't want to build a work around a software system, but perhaps use a
>specific medium or intermedia when the story and dramaturgy of the work
>require it, or a feedback that the dancer can't do with his own body or
>voice alone.
For a while Troika made works designed around one interactive system or
another and in the end I found the process not to be very satisfying
because the works seemed to have no point really. Sometimea a narrative
grew out of our investigation of a system but not always. We have come to
terms with the fact that Troika Ranch is a dance-theater company interested
in telling stories. We use media and interactive systems and the like but
only when the idea in the moment demands it's use. Again relating to being
able to write about my work. If the technology works it's way in because of
a conceptual need then it will be easy for me to describe that in any PR.
In theory.
Thanks for your thoughts Johannes - how's Ohio State?
Best,
Dawn
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Dawn Stoppiello / Artistic Co-Director / Troika Ranch / troika@artswire.org
http://www.troikaranch.org
321 Graham Avenue #4R Brooklyn, NY 11211 +1.718.218.6775
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