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Photo: Boudewijn Bollmann (c)
Norwegian artist HC Gilje explores how audiovisual technology can be used to transform, create, expand, amplify and interpret physical spaces. He will present the research he has been doing over the last three years during his research fellowship at the National Academy of the Arts in Bergen (KHIB). HC Gilje writes regularly on these matters on his blog 'Conversations with Spaces'. The Italian sound designer Lorenzo Brusci will give a presentation on his work in the field of immersive sound and experience design. He is (co-)founder of the applied acoustics division of B&C Speakers Architettura Sonora, the environmental design team Giardino Sonoro and the studio Sound and Experience Design. And Telcosystems will present their latest work 12_Series, which they developed at BALTAN Laboratories as part of the Poème Numérique investigations.Photo: Telcosystems (c)
BALTAN goes NATLAB is a monthly series devoted to presenting and contributing to BALTAN Laboratories’ research programmePoème Numérique. Previous guest speakers have included Tim Edler from realities:united (DE), artists BULL.MILETIC (NO), Thom Warmerdam (Philips, NL), Willem van Weelden (NL), and designer Christien Meindertsma (NL). The fourth BALTAN goes NATLAB session will take place on June 26, 2009 and will focus on the space between artistic and technological research and development.HC Gilje .......: http://hcgilje.wordpress.com/Lorenzo Brusci .: http://www.soundexperiencedesign.com/Telcosystems ...: http://www.telcosystems.net/PRACTICAL INFORMATIONDate: Friday 29th of May 2009Time: 16.30 to 18.30 (doors open at 16:00)Location: Auditorium of the former Philips NatLab, entrance on the Kastanjelaan, Strijp S in EindhovenPublic Transport: Bus 401, 402 of 18 from Station Eindhoven CS, stop Kastanjelaan.Entree: FreeLanguage: EnglishBALTAN LaboratoriesGlaslaan 2, SWA-8Postbus 40425604 EA EindhovenThe NetherlandsT: +31 40 256 9661F: +31 40 256 9661E: info@baltanlaboratories.orgW: http://www.baltanlaboratories.org--www.telcosystems.netCheck the gallery on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/baltanlaboratories/sets/72157616873891654/Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Along with this line Hubert Pichot designed an experimental wearable sound device for dancer in order to give her a tool for generating soundz connected with her movements via bending wires and pick ups through accelerometers to computer and mixer at the end.Jasmina Prolic dances 'tuned on' with minimal, transcendental movements at the beginning, which grows up as the dramaturgical structures are growing too, into rhythmically more completed textures…Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
The piece is fragmented into smaller parts which are developed through wordz / dialogues with a man ‘behind’ the ‘technological wall’ emanating himself through video installation and complex DIY electronic sound device letting different sounds to come out depending on dancer’s moves. It’s a kind of a sound mapping of their virtual communication based on practical physics (more precisely micro-kinetics) - her dancing.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Although, the use of such devices could be constraining for the performer, seems like Hubert did a great job with his real-time sound device, Jasmina Prolic accepted it superbly as part of her body, mainly because it’s a communication tool between human being and entity of electronic nature, if you understand it banally.Prolic deploys a sort of micro-inquiring within her body narration and technique creating an artwork of emotional depth… She is questioning the issues of being emotional and physical attached via technology to another person, and the possibilities of having the same relation as if this person would be made of flash and blood…Because of choreographer’s intention to go further the whole story is not finishing with a pair of lovers running through the meadow into each others arms… But seems like this whole ‘wired’ love is functioning with some boundaries… which leads you to the point where, as a viewer, you can realize that lots of thingz in our lives turned out in some direction because of our previous expectations… Can we accept relations with ‘entities’ and being emotionally involved with… well, actually we already live this life without even perceiving it, or maybe we all like to live in certain oblivion…Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Jasmina Prolic is a Sarajevo ex-ballet girl on her ‘movable’ life journey, heavily ‘spiced’ with contemporary dance, in France… At the beginning of 90’s Jasmina was already an award winning ballet dancer and member of Sarajevo’s National Ballet Ensemble … but due to terrible thingz which started to happen in Bosnia at that time, she first found refuge in Zagreb, and then she entered at The National Superior Conservatoire of Dance and Music of Paris in order to study Contemporary Dance.Her graduation dance piece was her first solo work ‘Sarajevo, 25th of April 10 o’clock in the morning or Why?’. Jasmina Prolic has received Award for French Young Choreographers in 1999; she was a member of the Junior Ballet of the CNSMDP from 1996-97, which followed the residency - danceweber at DanceWeb Project within ImpulsTanz in Vienna in 1998. Artists she had collaborated with are: Jean Claude Gallota, Maguy Marin, Joachim Schlomer, Palle Granhoj, Gildas Zepffel, Gildas Bourdet, Balazs Gera, Maja Pavlovska, Szilard Mezei, Albert Markos, Henrik Jaspersen et Ko de Regt (Duo Resonante), Jérome Poret etc.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Lucid choreographer Joseph Nadj invited her in 2002 to base her very own dance company in Orléans (France), which was initially a new trigger in her carrier, not just for her solo artworkz but for promoting younf dancers and companies from South Eastern Region… Jasmina Prolic is spending a lot of time on givin’ dance workshops and classes in this region…From 2007 she is an art consultant for Nomad Dance Academy regional network presenting the Bosnian organisation for contemporary dance Tanzelarija; and she have an active participating role in the Balkan Dance Network and IETM. She’s the organizer of ‘Choreographic Meetings of the Balkans’ dance event with the National Choreographic Centre of Orléans and National Scene of Orléans in France. Jasmina is artistic director of the First Bosnian Contemporary Dance Festival ZVRK in Sarajevo.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
After such a technical complex dance piece ‘Julie(t)- duet in absentia’ with a dancer immersed deeply in the theme, I couldn’t resist not inviting Jasmina for a small talk on her solo work… technology… about her challenges…about ZVRK … and all that stuff…Hi, Jasmina! Could you please tell me something about that how did you first get involved with technology? Something that actually can’t be controlled in a way you can control your own body and expressiveness…J: Hubert Pichot and I met while working together on the theatre production in February 2006. Then he introduced me with his technological stuff and expressed a wish to work with a dancer in order to create a live instrument!!! He said he would like to work on Romeo and Juliet by Prokofjev, but I replied that Romeo and Juliet that I think off are written by Shakespeare. In that sense I was ready to enter the adventure of exploration for a live instrument, not being interested in the love story, but in the conflict and all that destroyed love.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Are you planning to work or develop the same working process within ‘Julie(t)- duet in absentia’ or some other future performance?J: The work with Juliet isn’t finished yet; we’re still developing and rethinking this piece. Maybe, if I will feel the urge, I’ll provoke something similar in some other project.In your opinion, what is the perspective of a human moveable body through dance in the context of technology?J: Well, there are so many things in that context that need to be discovered. It also depends a lot on what you want to express, in what direction you want to develop and what kind of message to send.Do you think that you can expand your possibilities as a dancer by using experimental performing devices, DIY tools, data sensors and so?J: These devices push you in some very different ways to use your body and to develop conscience about some still undiscovered parts and possibilities. But, they influence your style also.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
Josef Nadj has inspirited you with invitation to work and base your dance company in Orleans…J: I can only thank him for everything.What do you give to dancers on one side and learn from them on other side in your international classes?J: When I teach, first of all I give respect and get human quality. Sometimes, I learn everything from the beginning…What could you tell me about the development of dance scene at the moment in South Eastern Europe, in the European context?J: Although I am not completely familiar with the whole South-East European scene; dancers and choreographers that I do know can with confidence stand side by side in the European context.Photo: Compagnie Jasmina (c)
The first Bosnian Festival for Contemporary Dance took place in September in Sarajevo… That’s great news for young people willing to expand their experiences in the field of contemporary dance, but also for society and the city of Sarajevo in general… How do you see the future of the scene that will certainly emerge from it in ten, twenty years from now?J: Who could know how the scene will look like tomorrow, not to say in ten or twenty years! (laughs).I only hope that something has finally been moved. This first edition convinced us of the great need for this kind of events in the contemporary societies; so we can’t give up. Dance makes you free and gives you a chance for interaction. There are no limits and that is what we really need.In any case, it won’t be easy, but it never is in Bosnia and Herzegovina! ‘Nice and easy’ approach. And maybe the standing tomb-stones will revive through our bodies; they’ll become off petrified and therefore even nicer and stronger.Jasmina, thanks!p.s. Bosnia and Herzegovina is well known for archaeological sites of medieval tomb-stones.(This blog post was originally posted on Personal Cyber Botanica at www.lomodeedee.com)STEP IT UP FOR A CAUSE AND CHANGE YOUR COMMUNITY!
Nike and YouthNoise Introduce the Battle of the NYC Boroughs, the Super Bowl of Dance Competitions Encouraging Community Advocacy
This month YouthNoise, in partnership with Nike, the Department of Youth & Community Development, and the Global Youth Leadership Institute, is introducing Step It Up: Battle of the Boroughs, a city-wide contest where dance teams from all five New York City boroughs compete for up to $10,000 in cash and prizes, including a team grant, a Nike ID session in which the winning team will be able to design their own team shoe and the coveted NYC Battle of the Boroughs trophy to be featured on Gamechangers, YouthNoise Play City, and Live Leadership Now.
Heralded as the “Super Bowl of dance competitions,” the Battle of the Boroughs gives young dancers the opportunity to showcase their talent and encourages participants to declare a cause for their communities. Issues like Inequality, Education and Violence are among the few causes participants can declare to help support their communities.
The competition is organized in three phases. The first phase is auditions, in which teams register online, volunteer for a community service project and compete for the semifinals on June 4, 2009; the Battle Zone. The semifinalists that make it to the Battle Zone will create video PSAs that will be hosted on YouthNoise.com/playcity. Finally, the teams chosen to move on will compete in the Battle of the Boroughs on June 30, 2009, where the final teams will create, develop and launch a borough-wide campaign around their causes and compete for the grand prize!
Young people from all over New York City now have the opportunity to participate in a one of a kind dance competition while representing and advocating for their surrounding communities. Register now for the Battle of the Boroughs and Step It Up for a cause to change your community!
Heralded as the “Super Bowl of dance competitions,” the Battle of the Boroughs gives young dancers the opportunity to showcase their talent and encourages participants to declare a cause for their communities. Issues like Inequality, Education and Violence are among the few causes participants can declare to help support their communities.
The competition is organized in three phases. The first phase is auditions, in which teams register online, volunteer for a community service project and compete for the semifinals on June 4, 2009; the Battle Zone. The semifinalists that make it to the Battle Zone will create video PSAs that will be hosted on YouthNoise.com/playcity. Finally, the teams chosen to move on will compete in the Battle of the Boroughs on June 30, 2009, where the final teams will create, develop and launch a borough-wide campaign around their causes and compete for the grand prize!
Young people from all over New York City now have the opportunity to participate in a one of a kind dance competition while representing and advocating for their surrounding communities. Register now for the Battle of the Boroughs and Step It Up for a cause to change your community!
Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
As a very young artist he was a member of many street art crews, for instance Bamboozle; then he decided to blast himself to the next level by studying contemporary dance at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance.In 1999 he founded Robert Hylton Urban Classicism which could be considered as a dance company, production crew and a training platform within whose Robert ‘transmits’ his knowledge and artistic vision.As a real ‘gimme some tunes’ artist he often collaborates with respectable DJs, among them also with Billy Biznizz - UK’s well known DJ, producer and remix-maestro who did some stuff for the House of Pain, Jade, N.W.A, 4Hero and Mark Morrison.Robert Hylton performed at many international festivals either as a solo dancer either with his own crew. He was a member / guest performer of several dance companies, such as: Jonzi D, JazzXchange and Phoenix Dance. Hylton is also well known for his hip hop/art/educational movies: Urban Classicism South Side, Two Sugars with My Hip Hop please…, The Real Thing, Frames, Urban Classicism, Urban Voodoo, Jaffaman, Simmetry, etc.This spring he spent some time in Zagreb (Croatia) with b-girls and b-boys from the School for Contemporary Dance ‘Ana Maletic’ and the local company What Evaa in order to work with them… they successfully presented their skills almost two months ago where else but on the street…Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
I took few minutes of his time to chat a little bit with him at Dance Week Festival, and here is some stuff on street art from Jaffaman, ops… Robert Hylton’s perspective…Yo, Robert! The blood in your veins is the blood of a street artist, somebody artistically raised on asphalt with urban background… those are your foundations… what sort of ‘switch’ has happened when you decided to accept other forms of expressiveness?R: I think I’m a dance junkie, you know. The challenge of learning to dance was good. Culturally, hip hop is in my heart and my brain. Contemporary as well, it’s just a part of dance and I found that I was able to learn it, so I kept it, but I always returned. I mean, I never left hip hop and it was always there. But I enjoy both paths and that’s why I bring to the next generations of contemporary dancers discipline and how to work in the studio. So, fortunate I’m able to kind of help other people. If they just wanna stay hip hop - often come straight hip hop dancers to work with me; but when you are in a rehearsal studio and you make them work, there has to be some rules.Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
It’s obviously that you take care a lot about soundz in your artwork… not just ‘gimme some beatz and tunez’ attitude… but a lot of classics, down tempo, trip hop, ambient… you mix it all… seems like they are all equal in your choreographic language? Basically, how do you treat sounds in your work?R: If I like it, I’m drawn to it. I think, even with hip-hop music… when hip-hop first came through, it was an amalgamation of many many different sounds. There was no formula, it was whatever the DJ thought could work for the crowd and listen to. Now, it’s a formula. It’s a straight-forward beat, and it loses its reliance it has back then. So, specifically for this project, before I came, because I didn’t know anyone, I just put a lot of different types of music in my computer and then when I met everyone I just thought: Well, this music makes a language to particular people to keep them in the comfort zone. And I think the music ballet is an important part of dance. If I like it doesn’t matter what it sounds like as long we dance to the music, whether it’s classical or ambient, as long it helps to those textures more then anything else.Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
How did you manage to get the street vibe in your choreographies to fit in your style to theatre stage? Do you even think about that? Does it concern you at all?R: I think it’s a part of a natural evolution. Hip hop is young, about 35 years in its growth from the first wave in the seventies, and then in the eighties it was like the big media hustle, now it’s defined like: who the body- architect is; what the vocabulary is; what the history is and I think that’s a rich culture. Self-expression, inventiveness and all this things. So, I think that now there are more tools and it’s a combat to any kind of cultural birocracy in a way of policy. So, like ballet was a peasant dance, was a folk dance when it started. Hip hop is now a folk dance that is changing. You know, it’s a stage of a natural evolution at the moment. Now teachers require knowing the name of every single move in hip hop like in ballet. When you know the name of every move, then you know what the vocabulary is. Therefore, you are building something. It becomes a dance that grows with a form and structure, now excuse to the old ways of thinking.Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
You run workshops and dance classes all around the planet. What do you want to accomplish with your dance classes?R: It’s an experience of teaching and developing. Again, wherever I was: New Zealand, Croatia, Indonesia, etc. going with the basic knowledge and vocabulary with the intention to get everyone to dance, to challenge everyone. It’s inside of me and it’s the challenge that I like and it’s always very successful. Then, this education challenge is here… And this is what it takes for me to get on stage, basically. When you come with the honesty, all the things you use are the fundamentals of dance and the experimentation. When people don’t know the fundamentals of dance I would teach them fundamentals of dance. I would challenge them with experimentation. My intention is, wherever they are, to try to push them further.You get the satisfaction from it…R: Yeah, I think I get the satisfaction from it because the more they push themselves forward the more environment in the culture grows, the more it looks to be growing up, the more looks to be organized and I think it just helps the general development of dance, whether it’s fusion, contemporary, hip hop or whatever is hip hop in it’s purest form.Photo: Robert Hylton Urban Classicism (c)
What do you think about Banksy, the graffiti artist… you probably know that some people are buying his artworks for a lot of bucks, an artwork that essentially belongs to the street and to all people?R: Yeah, I mean Banksy is a graffiti artist in a graffiti sense; he is not necessarily from hip hop background and all that stories. He is very clever, great political references and he does a great job. Banksy is definitely an outlaw, like the older graffiti artists were, when nobody knows who he is - in that sense is hip hop; and he takes big risks and gets away with it. But he is also a businessman. I know his manager; he is a good friend of mine.It’s a good marketing…R: Yeah, it’s a good marketing as long he keep that outlaw that it’s all business and that street artist can be on that level. I think, back again to dancers, that hip hop performers even when they know they wanna be b-boys, they have to learn some business; which is a part of organization when you are professional: contacts, business negotiating and all this. It takes them away from not just dancing on the street. Banksy was not just painting on the walls, he has books out, and his work is in art galleries. If his work is not in the gallery he will sneak by himself and put it there (laughs).Robert, TNX a lot!This interview was originally published on Personal Cyber Botanica: www.lomodeedee.com)