Feature: Translocations - academic responses to dance
As part of a programme developed by Cultural Institute at King’s, supporting innovative collaborations between academics and cultural practitioners, choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh presented one of her recent works, Bruise Blood, to six King’s College London academics who also have a professional interest in the human body.
It wasn’t possible to show them the complete work in a live setting, so instead they watched a short extract performed live in her studio by two dancers and an eight minute section of the work on a film (we have a three minute extract here), made for documentation purposes:
The academics were asked to comment on what they saw from their specialist perspective and their personal written responses became the scripts for six highly individual film portraits, made with artist and director Pete Gomes, which reveal the academics, their work and dance in a new light. Watch them here…
Dr Darren Williams, Senior Lecturer, MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology
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Dr Johan Andersson, Lecturer in Urban and Cultural Geography
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Professor Kaspar Althoefer, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Head of the Centre for Robotics Research (CoRe), Department of Informatics
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Dr Paul Sweetman, Senior Lecturer in Culture, Media and Creative Industries
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Dr Thrishantha Nanayakkara, Senior Lecturer, Department of Informatics
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Dr Sarah Cooper, Reader in Film Theory and Aesthetics, Head of Department of Film Studies, Deputy Head of the School of Arts and Humanities
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Bruise Blood film credits: Choreography: Shobana Jeyasingh; Music: Steve Reich; Music Direction & Remix: Glyn Perrin; Beatbox Artist: Shlomo; Designer: Ruari Murchison; Costume Supervisor: Alexandra Kharibian; Lighting: Guy Hoare
Image: Devaraj Thimmaiah in Bruise Blood
Photo: Nuno Santos
This week (3 – 5 April) Shobana Jeyasingh’s TooMortal is being performed at St Mary the Virgin Church, Bath.
More details: www.bath.ac.uk
Cultural Institute at King’s connects the King’s College London with practitioners, producers, policy makers and participants across arts and culture, creating space for where conventions are challenged and original perspectives emerge. In March 2013, it introduced its Knowledge Producers programme to create partnerships with three award-winning creative producers: Shobana Jeyasingh Dance, Fuel Theatre and Headlong. Following a series of tailored conversations between artists and academics at King’s, the programme has set in motion a range of unique collaborations, including Translocations.
www.kcl.ac.uk/cultural