Seine hohle Form
Concept: Robert Wechsler, Butch Rovan, Frieder Weiss
Choreography, Performance: Robert Wechsler, Helena Zwiauer,
Music composition, Max programming: Butch Rovan
Interactive System Designer: Frieder Weiß
Costume Designer: Kleiderei, Nürnberg
Links:
Palindrome website
Awards:
2002, Berlin Transmediale, first prize for interactive art
2001 CYNETart Festival Prize for computer art
It was also a prize winning entry at MDDF in 2001.
Publications:
Concept
"The words "seine hohle Form" are a fragment from the poem "Gesichter" by Rainer Maria Rilke. As a starting point for this interactive work, the title words serve as an emblem for the interesting challenge of creating a musical work that only exists when a dancer moves, and a dance in which movement must be approached as both functional, music-creating gesture as well as expressive or decorative elements. The collaboration between the music (Burch Rovan) and the dance (Robert Wechsler and Helena Zwiauer) on this piece was complete; that is, the movement and sound were not designed separately, but interactively. The choreography is affected by the live generation of sound through the use of sensors and real-time synthesis, just as the resulting music is in turn shaped by these movements. There are no musical cues for the dancers, since without their movements the music is either nonexistent, or at other times, missing key elements. This method of working forced not only an inherent degree of improvisation upon the group, but also prompted a sharing of artistic roles in the working process: dancer became musician, composer became choreographer... " -B.Rovan
Performance History:
This work has the distinction of winning both the
It has been performed at dance, music, art and video events in Buens Aires, Reims, Paris, Montreal, Tornto, Monaco, Amsterdam, Bauhaus, Berlin, Rome, ... and of course, Nürnberg.
It was created in a series of collaborations with the composer Butch Rovan, first at University of Northern Texas, and then later at the Imo Buhl studios in Nürnberg, Germany.
