| date: |
 |
November 2003 |
| client: |
|
John Jasperse Co. |
| choreography: |
|
John Jasperse |
| original music: |
|
Jonathan Bepler |
| performers: |
|
Steven Fetherhuff, Eleanor Hullihan, John Jasperse, |
| lighting design: |
|
John Jasperse & Joe Levasseur |
| status: |
|
Completed |
California is a dance performance piece developed by the choreographer John Jasperse and performed by his company. As opposed to creating a back-drop or immobile form for the stage, the set was designed as a morphing structure that allowed the dancers to engage directly with the piece.
Through modeling surfaces versus engineered structures a surface-form was created allowing for flexibility. Creating the set as something geometrically and spatially changing, which was an element of the performance, allowed easier manipulation as a surface as opposed to a structure. Movement of the performers was emulated and adopted through the set . The objective was to work with how the dancers affect space, not only how the set could be reconfigured by dancers, but how the set could actually affect the dance. The set design became a surface-structure, capable of morphing in time and space.
The design was modeled from a complex computer generated geometric surface. Using a basic fabric pattern layout, the design was unfolded into individual segments that could work as individual pieces that together formed the surface. The primary material is polycarbonate that maintains translucency and reflectivity so the piece absorbs and diffuses light. Zip-ties secure the pieces allowing for flexibility and ease of construction. This set can be created in hours, and broken down and packed into boxes to be recreated elsewhere.
Performed:
November 30, 2003
Festival International de Dance - Cannes, France
January 29, 30, 31, 2004
Maison des Arts - Créteil, France
February 5, 6, 7, 8, 2004
Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Frankfurt, Germany
March 16, 17, 2004
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY
June 29, 30, 2004
American Dance Festival - Durham, NC
September 10, 11, 12, 2004
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art festival
September 17,18, 2004
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts - San Francisco, CA
December 7-11, 2004
BAM, Brooklyn Academy of Music, NY
March 18-20, 2005
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
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