AN EXPLORATION OF COLOR & DANCE
This project aims to investigate how the medium of fine art and digital technology can contribute to choreography and performance practice, and what possibilities can it offer in terms of aesthetics? Initially inspired by the water element of this research explores qualities of water, such as fluidity, playfulness, softness, and power through the use of movement improvisation and paint. This creative research is documented and presented through digital images and video montages, and a live online performance.
INSPIRATION
My mother was a professional painter, but since she couldn’t raise me, she hasn’t thought me how to paint properly. I always regretted that I did not have enough time with her as a child to learn at least half of what she knew. When I lamented this later in life, she told me that she never actually wanted to teach me, because she thought that art must be explored individually rather than taught.
In the last semester of Technology and Interdisciplinary Performance with Dr. Paula Guzzanti, I was inspired by one project we did with charcoal. We fixed a big sheet of paper on the floor, listened to music, and projected our sensations and emotions that were evoked by the music on paper. Then, inspired by the shapes that were drawn with charcoal on paper, we created a short choreography projecting the elements of the drawing through dance. This semester as I researched ways of digital performance presentations I came across some videos that featured artists stepping into paint and creating artwork while dancing, and also I watched Meghan Currie‘s (2017) performance as she created art with yoga. Another source of ideas came from a task we did in class based on a score that made us relate to and move across the wall. Thus, I thought if someone could create art through movement improvisation by dancing with their feet, I could try to do the same on a wall. I was also inspired by Alexa Meade (2016) who created moving paintings by painting on the dancers as if they were oil paintings while also applying paint to the environment they were in. Regarding modes of presentation, I was inspired by the idea of cloning, mirroring, and other video effects that could offer new ways of online dance art.
DISCOVERIES
Through this project, I discovered so much potential in how the medium of fine art can become an important contributor to performance, and also, through the process of video editing I discovered how digital media inspired by fine art can contribute as the visual aspect of a dance performance. I choose to transform my improvisation videos into digital art through the use of a video editor program that allowed me to create new works through layering and mirroring. This video is like the reflection we see of ourselves when looking down at a lake. I tried to embody the qualities of fluidity and playfulness by focusing on movement in my upper body, including shoulders, elbows, wrists, head, and fingers. I was also fascinated by the possibility of having three moving characters within one image through video editing, and how one dancer could create a story with different characters. Also, the music choice for my videos was first something connected to water sounds, such as waves, oceans, water Koshi bells, singing bowls, and music boxes, which in my opinion reminded me of the water element.
In my last experiment, I brought in the element of light, using my daughter’s color-changing night lamp. I recorded it at night when the dark blue lights could create a special effect of the golden shiny paint. The element of light created a different ambiance and added the element of shadows which performed an additional layer. This new mysterious and creepy look took me in a different direction, into a new topic of exploration. In my live performance presentation, I decided to include the three elements of my research, movement research inspired by the element of water, fine art research inspired by movement, and digital art as an end product constructed from the previous two elements. My performance presentation will guide the audience through my process of creation, thus it will include a live performance demonstrating the process of painting and movement improvisation, and also video projections demonstrating the potential of these three mediums.
PAINTING THROUGH DANCE – THE PROCESS
