Friday 30 November 2007

Something Fun... William Forsythe, algorithms, choreography, space.

Forsythe, William and Paul Kaiser, 'Dance Gemotery: A Conversation with William Forsythe', Performance Research, Vol 4, No. 2, Summer 1999, pp.64-71.

http://www.openendedgroup.com/index.php/publications/conversations/forsythe/

Follow this link to read a conversation between contemporary choreographer William Forsythe and digital artist Paul Kaiser. Here they consider Forsythe's choreographic method and its parallels to algorithmic processes in digital programming. The discussion foregrounds Forsythe's use of particular geometrical frameworks for the spatial organization of the human body.

These two artists had previously collaborated with the Center for Art and Media Technology (ZKM) in Karlsruhe to produce a CD ROM entitled Improvisation Technologies: An Analytical Tool for the Dance Eye, (2000), [1994]. The work contains footage of Forsythe's improvisation exercises annotated with superimposed animation, which illustrates the spatial diagrams of the movement idiom.

Also included on the CD ROM is the work Solo (2005), a seven minute improvisation performed by Forsythe demonstrating the practice of his choreographic technology. Owing to the wonder of cyberspace, you can find the whole solo on YouTube:



Enjoy.

2 comments:

Kristian Larsen said...

The entire cd - rom is available to the public here

http://www.youtube.com/user/GrandpaSafari

Appropriating Space said...

Thanks Kristian! Technologies galore.