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Date: 2021 -

Location: Bristol, UK

Project: Site Specific Performance + Creative Tech

Partners: Arts Council England, Pavilion Dance South West, Plymouth University, The Studio, Bath Spa University, The South West Creative Technology Network

Artists: Silvia Carderelli-Granau

We are delighted to present SONIC DANCER, a new creative technology developed with artist Silvia Carderelli-Granau, and Swen Gaudl, computer scientist at University of Plymouth and AI researcher. The immersive framework strives to create a paradigm shift around how and where dance, performance and movement can be experienced; thereby advancing new forms of engagement and accessibility. Through exploration of sound and spatial interaction beyond the physical sphere, an interplay between location and experience is echoed.

Development of the sound-based technology began in 2020, originally designed to enable dancers situated in different locations to move and improvise with one another. Through ongoing iterations of augmentation, the technology has evolved and now features an advanced acoustic palette, developed in conjunction with sound artist Joseph Hyde. Audiences can connect remotely to sense people and locations in a shared virtual space, without relying on screen-based technologies. SONIC DANCER manifests as an acoustic mirror, allowing audiences to expand their sensorial capacity and to understand patterns of interaction and place.

An inclusive and accessible technology, originally designed for people that cannot rely on their vision or who are visually impaired, establishes connectivity thereby enhancing wellbeing, The core design was developed with a visually impaired dancer and continues to engage with diverse audiences to support cultural inclusivity.

SONIC DANCER also supports the performance sector by connecting professional dancers to maintain creative practices from different locations, a new way of working that can influence the choreographic process when working from various locations around the world.

How are we affected by sensing and hearing the movement of others? How can we develop new behaviours, inclusivity, and forms of sensory engagement? How does encountering remote, live dance acoustically affect audiences? Sonic Dancer re-imagines the exploration of movement and sound universes, by imagining new possibilities, and engaging with communities.